Nick Lalich
Encyclopedia
Nick Lalich is an Australia
n politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party
member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
since October 2008, representing the electorate of Cabramatta
. Lalich is also the current Mayor of Fairfield, a position which he has held since 2004.
to refugee parents who had fled the war in Yugoslavia
. His family migrated to Australia
when he was three, and spent time in resettlement camps at Uranquinty and Bonegilla
. They eventually settled in the Bonnyrigg
area, where Lalich's father worked for the Department of the Postmaster-General and ran a farm.
Lalich remained in the Bonnyrigg area, where he worked as an electrician for Prospect Electricity before his election to the City of Fairfield
council as a Labor candidate in 1987.
He was elected by his colleagues as mayor in 1993-94, and was a candidate for preselection for the seat of Cabramatta in 1994, losing to Reba Meagher
. Lalich remained on council, was again elected mayor by his colleagues in 2002, and ran and won as the first popularly elected mayor of Fairfield in 2004. He was easily re-elected as mayor in late 2008, only weeks before his election to parliament in October 2008.
, and Lalich, who had lost a preselection vote to her in 1994, was immediately touted as her replacement, duly winning preselection. He faced a strong challenge in the usually safe seat due to an unpopular government and a strong Liberal candidate in Australian Broadcasting Corporation
journalist Dai Le, but withstood a 20% swing against Labor to hold the seat for the party. Lalich was sworn in as a member of the Legislative Assembly on 18 October, and appointed to the Public Bodies Review Committee on 30 October. He has also vowed to continue as Fairfield mayor in addition to his parliamentary responsibilities.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
since October 2008, representing the electorate of Cabramatta
Electoral district of Cabramatta
Cabramatta is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a 19.82 km² urban electorate in Sydney's south-west, centred on the suburb of Cabramatta from which it takes its name. It also includes the suburbs of Bonnyrigg, Bonnyrigg Heights,...
. Lalich is also the current Mayor of Fairfield, a position which he has held since 2004.
Early life and career
Lalich was born in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
to refugee parents who had fled the war in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. His family migrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
when he was three, and spent time in resettlement camps at Uranquinty and Bonegilla
Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre
The Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre was a camp set up for receiving and training migrants to Australia during the post World War II immigration boom. The camp was set on near the small town of Bonegilla in north east Victoria, between the Hume Dam and the city of Wodonga...
. They eventually settled in the Bonnyrigg
Bonnyrigg, New South Wales
Bonnyrigg is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bonnyrigg is located 36 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Fairfield and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region....
area, where Lalich's father worked for the Department of the Postmaster-General and ran a farm.
Lalich remained in the Bonnyrigg area, where he worked as an electrician for Prospect Electricity before his election to the City of Fairfield
City of Fairfield
The City of Fairfield is a Local Government Area in the south-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.- Suburbs in the local government area :Suburbs in the City of Fairfield are:* Abbotsbury* Bonnyrigg* Bonnyrigg Heights* Bossley Park...
council as a Labor candidate in 1987.
He was elected by his colleagues as mayor in 1993-94, and was a candidate for preselection for the seat of Cabramatta in 1994, losing to Reba Meagher
Reba Meagher
Reba Paige Meagher is a former Australian politician who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the electoral district of Cabramatta. She was a minister in various portfolios from 2003 to 2008. On 6 September 2008 Meagher announced that she would not be seeking a...
. Lalich remained on council, was again elected mayor by his colleagues in 2002, and ran and won as the first popularly elected mayor of Fairfield in 2004. He was easily re-elected as mayor in late 2008, only weeks before his election to parliament in October 2008.
Election to parliament
In September 2008, Reba Meagher, the embattled state Health Minister, resigned from politics after it became clear that she would likely be dumped from Cabinet in a forthcoming ministerial reshuffle. This resulted in a by-election for her seatCabramatta by-election, 2008
A by-election was held for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Cabramatta on 18 October 2008 to coincide with the Lakemba, Port Macquarie and Ryde by-elections...
, and Lalich, who had lost a preselection vote to her in 1994, was immediately touted as her replacement, duly winning preselection. He faced a strong challenge in the usually safe seat due to an unpopular government and a strong Liberal candidate in Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
journalist Dai Le, but withstood a 20% swing against Labor to hold the seat for the party. Lalich was sworn in as a member of the Legislative Assembly on 18 October, and appointed to the Public Bodies Review Committee on 30 October. He has also vowed to continue as Fairfield mayor in addition to his parliamentary responsibilities.