Indira Laisram | The Indian Sun
Born to Indian immigrant parents of Goan descent, Zaneta Mascarenhas’s story stands out. She turned her dreams into reality by embracing both her heritage and the country she now calls home.
Zaneta made history when she was elected to the seat of Swan in Western Australia (WA), becoming not only the first female member in 101 years but also the first person of colour to hold the position (more on that later).
Her parents moved from Kenya to settle in Western Australia, where she was born in Kalgoorlie. She grew up in Kambalda, “a nickel mining town where Dad was a fitter and Mum was the kindy cleaner.”
“When my dad considered moving to Australia, he was told that he had the right skills but was the wrong colour. Despite this, Australia was the country he deeply wanted to go to, and of all the places he could have ended up, he chose the Goldfields in Western Australia,” says Zaneta.
Despite being a small country town, Kambalda was rich in diversity. She grew up surrounded by skilled migrants from all over the world, experiencing the best of both multicultural and regional Australia.
Zaneta’s first job, which she loved, was on the checkout at Woolies. When her supervisor bullied her to tears in front of customers, she saw firsthand the importance of being part of a union.
At 18, she moved to Perth to study science and engineering at Curtin University. She later served as Curtin Student Guild President and NUS West President, leading the fight against the Liberals’ attempts to dismantle student unions and raise university fees. She went on to work as an engineer on mine sites across regional WA and Victoria for about 15 years.
She recalls, “When I was preselected to work as an engineer and warned that it would be a tough game, I had little doubt that it was something I could handle.”
This resilience as a female in a male-dominated field has been a cornerstone of her journey toward running for parliament.
Backed by her experience as an engineer in the field of decarbonisation and climate action, Zaneta was motivated to run for federal parliament to advocate for stronger climate change policies.
She reflects, “I was deeply proud that, within the first two weeks of being elected, we increased our greenhouse gas emissions target to 43% by 2030. We didn’t have to legislate this target, but we did it to send a strong signal to both the community and the investment sector. And the truth is, both the community and investors responded positively.”
“We’ve also introduced a target of 82% renewable energy by 2030. I believe my experiences have contributed to achieving these policy outcomes,” she says.
Zaneta is enthusiastic about the opportunities decarbonisation offers Australia. She believes Australia should lead global efforts by leveraging its renewable energy and resources, and by evaluating its economy and exports to significantly reduce global carbon emissions.
Zaneta’s 2022 election victory, defeating Liberal Kristy McSweeney with a 12 per cent swing, became a cause célèbre. She made history as the first woman to win the Perth seat of Swan in its 101-year history.
“I didn’t realise during the campaign that this would be possible until someone pointed it out. It wasn’t until a mother and son came to my office, and the mother resembled my own mum, that it hit me. For over a century, people like her would have been sitting across from a white man to advocate for them. That’s when I truly understood why diversity matters—we need more perspectives in parliament to address biases and improve policies for everyone,” she says.
“And from a cultural diversity perspective, this is the most diverse parliament we’ve ever had. However, all political parties still need to do more, and I’m proud that in Western Australia, we’ve elected people from multiple cultural backgrounds, including Chinese, Malaysian, Egyptian, Indian, and Afghan,” she continues.
She is using her voice now to highlight the importance of improving workplace culture, drawing from her mining industry experience. “My dad worked in the resource sector for decades. He’s from a generation of metal workers where losing fingers in workplace accidents was all too common—he lost half a finger himself. When I joined, the industry had shifted to prioritising safety, even at significant financial costs.”
Similarly, she notes the 47th parliament has seen a notable cultural shift compared to the 46th. The addition of a childcare centre in Parliament House, formerly a bar, and changes like votes ending by 6:30 p.m. reflect this transformation.
“There’s still more to do. In fact, we’ve introduced policies in parliament that allow penalties for bullying and harassment, including docking up to five percent of a politician’s salary or removing them from parliamentary committees. Politicians are now being held to higher standards.”
So how does she balance motherhood and being a community leader? “I feel like the word ‘balance’ isn’t quite right because it’s difficult to do it all. A big part of it is being available to your community. I’m fortunate to have an amazing husband, and my mum is super supportive as well.”
As a Member of Parliament, Zaneta has much to offer. She shares her experiences from living in Bangladesh for almost a year and what it taught her. “People there love music, there’s so much vibrant colour, delicious food, and warmth. Sometimes Western culture feels so grey and monochrome, but I came back with a deep love for bright colours, which I’ve embraced ever since.
“Visiting family in Goa, India, multiple times during that year also connected me more closely to both Goa and Bangladesh, and that experience stays with me.”
Importantly, Zaneta advocates for all Australians, regardless of background, to have the opportunity to reach their full potential through a sense of belonging, good employment, and education.
“One of the most important lessons my engineering background taught me is the principle of root cause analysis. In engineering, unless you address the root cause, you can only mitigate symptoms but never truly fix the problem. This principle applies to government, democracies, and bureaucracies too. If we want effective solutions for our communities, we need to understand and tackle the root causes of issues,” she says.
