Cassandra Fernando
Cassandra Fernando (born c. 1988) is an Australian politician. She is the Australian Labor Party (ALP) candidate for the seat of Holt at the 2022 federal election. Early life. Fernando was born in Sri Lanka and came to Australia with her parents in 1999 at the age of 11. She grew up in Dandenong North, Victoria, and holds a diploma in hospitality and a certificate in education support. Fernando worked at Woolworths in Dandenong Plaza for almost 15 years, including as a pastry chef. She became a delegate to the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) and  subsequently worked as an SDA organiser for five years. Politics. In March 2022, Fernando won ALP preselection for the seat of Holt at the 2022 federal election, following the retirement of incumbent MP Anthony Byrne. She is a member of the Labor Right faction, which was granted the right to preselect the candidate in Holt despite the left faction having larger membership numbers in the seat.