Anika Wells

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Not to be confused with American singer-songwriter Annika Wells.
Anika Wells
MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Lilley
Assumed office
18 May 2019
Preceded byWayne Swan
Personal details
Born
Anika Shay Wells[1]

(1985-08-11) 11 August 1985 (age 36)[2]
South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Political partyLabor
Spouse(s)Finn
Children3
Alma mater
Websitewww.anikawells.com.au

Anika Shay Wells (born 11 August 1985) is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2019 federal election. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and represents the Division of Lilley in Queensland.[3]

Early life[]

Wells was born in Brisbane, Queensland, on 11 August 1985.[2] Her father, an accountant, was born in Melbourne and her mother, an administrator, was born in New Zealand.[4] As a result, Wells held New Zealand citizenship by descent until February 2018, when she renounced it to stand for parliament.[1]

Wells graduated Moreton Bay College as school captain.[4] She holds arts and law degrees from Griffith University as well as a graduate diploma in legal practice from the Australian National University.[5]

Career[]

Prior to entering politics, Wells worked as an adviser to the federal government for five years. She was admitted to practise law in 2012 and joined Maurice Blackburn in 2014 as a compensation lawyer. She worked on a number of cases related to immigration detention.[5]

Politics[]

In March 2018, Wells won Labor preselection for the Division of Lilley, replacing the retiring member Wayne Swan.[6] She won the seat at the 2019 federal election despite a five-point swing against the ALP on the two-party-preferred count.[3] At the time, Wells was Australia's youngest female MP at 34.[7]

Wells served on the "Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia", which delivered its interim report in December 2020.[8]

Personal life[]

Wells already had one daughter when she entered parliament. She and husband Finn added twin sons in 2020.[9][10]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Qualification checklist" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Ms Anika Wells MP". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Federal election 2019 result in Lilley sees Labor claim Brisbane seat". ABC News. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Anika Wells". Queensland Labor. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Anika Wells". Maurice Blackburn. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Labor claims victory in close Brisbane seat". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  7. ^ Mason, Brett (27 January 2020). "As Australia's parliament returns, meet the youngest MPs doing things differently". SBS News Online. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020.
  8. ^ Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia (December 2020). Never again: Inquiry into the destruction of 46,000 year old caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara region of Western Australia - Interim Report. Commonwealth of Australia. ISBN 978-1-76092-197-2. PDF
  9. ^ Doran, Matthew (10 May 2020). "Labor MP Anika Wells says coronavirus restrictions have shown need for workplace flexibility". ABC News. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  10. ^ "MP gives speech holding baby twins for Multiple Birth Awareness week". SBS News. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.

 

Australian House of Representatives
Preceded by Member for Lilley
2019–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from ""