Jude Perera

Jude has his political beginnings in the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). He was local branch secretary and a member of its District Committee and the National Youth Central Committee. After the LSSP, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) and the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP) formed an alliance, he joined the SLMP on Vijaya Kumaranatunga’s invitation and was the chief organiser of the Katana electorate. After migrating to Australia in 1988, he was elected to the Victorian State Parliament as a Member in 2002. He was the first and so far, the only Sri Lankan born Australian to be elected to any Lower House of Parliament in Australia. During his tenure, he served in a number of parliamentary investigatory committees. While in opposition, he assisted the Leader of the Opposition in the multicultural portfolio. He retired in December 2018 after serving 16 years in four consecutive terms. Jude has travelled to UK and Europe and undertaken studies on Economic Democracy. His reports are available at the Victorian parliamentary library.