Cyprian Australian Andrea Michaels and Greek Australian Tom Koutsantonis have moved into ministerial positions as announced by newly elected South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.
Ms Michaels the 46-year-old mother of two, has been appointed Minister for Small and Family Business, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs as well as Minister for Arts.
Andrea’s family fled war-torn Cyprus in 1974, landing in South Australia in 1976 when she was just 11 months old. Andrea’s family arrived with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
“I am thrilled with the election result. Now it is time to work hard and move the state forward” Ms Michaels told Neos Kosmos.
“It’s such an honour to have been re-elected and to now form government with Peter Malinauskas as our new Premier. I’m grateful to have received messages from the diaspora from as far away as Cyprus, the US and the UK,” Ms Michaels continued.
Anastasios (Tom) Koutsantonis, one the party’s eldest statesmen and one of the longest standing Labor MPs in the SA parliament, has been appointed Minister for Infrastructure & Transport as well as Minister for Energy and Mining. He will also be the Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly.
“Every team needs a lion and in Labor we have a loyal lion in the honorable Tom Koutsantonis,” said Premier Peter Malinauskas in his victory speech on election night paying tribute to the Greek Australian former SA Treasurer.
“I am very grateful for the support of my local community of which many are members of the Greek community. I do feel a sense of responsibility to work very hard for our community and to fulfil our commitments to the people of our state,” Mr Koutsantonis told Neos Kosmos.
His interest in politics began when, as a 14-year-old, he joined the Labor Party and started volunteering in the office of former Labor Deputy Premier Jack Wright.
He went on to be elected Secretary of South Australian Young Labor and worked as a personal assistant to the Honourable Michael Atkinson MP, and as an Industrial Advocate for the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association.
Mr Koutsantonis was elected to the South Australian State Parliament on 11 October 1997, at the age of 26, and has been re-elected at every state election since. He is the Member for West Torrens in Adelaide’s inner Western suburbs.
The father of two became a Minister in the Labor State Government in 2009 and remained in Cabinet until the 2018 State election. Over this period, he served as Minister for Corrections, Youth and Volunteers, Gambling, Small Business, Transport, Planning and Infrastructure, Mining and Energy, State Development and as Treasurer, delivering four State Budgets as Treasurer.
After the 2018 election, he became the Leader of Opposition Business, and held the Shadow Portfolios of Mining and Energy, Transport and Infrastructure, Employment. He was also the Opposition’s Government Accountability spokesperson.
He is married to Anthea with whom he has two daughters, Tia, 11, and Helena, 7.
In total, 8 of the 17 people on the frontbench will be female – a record level of female representation at the top of government.
“Today I am proud to announce my fresh, united team which will deliver Labor’s plan for the future of South Australia. My new Cabinet blends experience and fresh talent and will importantly also include an independent MP sitting at the Cabinet table.
“Labor took a comprehensive plan for the future of our state to the election and our plan was endorsed by the people of South Australia. This is the team which will deliver our plan – a plan which isn’t just about the next four years, but the next generation” said Premier Malinauskas as he announced the new South Australian Cabinet.
Meanwhile another Greek-Australian, newly elected Labor MP Olivia Savvas is state parliament’s youngest member. She managed to take the northeastern seat of Newland from Liberal MP Richard Harvey, despite being pre-selected only weeks before last weekend’s election.
For the last three years, the 25-year-old who has studied Law and Politics at the University of Adelaide, has been a local Councillor in the City of Tea Tree Gully and has also worked in financial crime at a large bank.
“It’s an incredible honour and privilege to have been elected to the South Australian Parliament, and to have been given the opportunity to serve my community here in the North East,” Ms Savvas told Neos Kosmos.
Ms Savvas, whose family originates from the island of Samos, said she had been involved with Labor since before becoming a councillor at the 2018 local government elections.
Ms Savvas says she is determined to be an advocate for women and young people.
“When someone says to me ‘what experience do you have?’ I say well, I don’t have 20 plus years of corporate experience, but I do have 20 plus years of fight,” she said.
“And what you need in a Member of Parliament is a fighter and I’ve got that in droves.”