Zaneta Mascarenhas MP, the Labor representative for Swan, marked the opening day of Australia’s 48th Parliament by wearing a sari featuring indigenous design. The gesture was intended as a tribute to First Nations culture and a nod to the diversity of her electorate. In a social media post, she shared that the Governor-General’s address to Parliament referenced her work on financial abuse, a cause she has championed since her first term.
Mascarenhas has been a strong advocate for tackling financial abuse, describing it as a form of domestic and family violence. She defines it as behaviour where perpetrators exert control over victims by restricting access to money, draining shared accounts, or taking out loans in their name. In February 2024, she introduced a motion in the Federation Chamber calling for a coordinated response involving banks, regulators, advocates and government. Her motion praised updates to banking terms and training protocols aimed at identifying financial abuse, particularly in cases linked to coercive control.
The issue has gained traction within Parliament, and Mascarenhas has played a key role in launching a formal inquiry into the role financial institutions can play in detecting and preventing such abuse. The inquiry is ongoing, examining whether current laws are fit for purpose and what changes may be needed to strengthen consumer protections.
Mascarenhas’s presence in Parliament is historic. Elected in May 2022, she became the first woman to win the seat of Swan since its creation in 1922, and the first person of Goan heritage elected to the House of Representatives. Born in Kalgoorlie to Indian-origin parents who had migrated from Kenya, she was raised in the mining town of Kambalda, Western Australia. She studied engineering at Curtin University and later worked for over a decade in climate policy, helping ASX 200 companies reduce emissions. That experience now informs her work on the House committees for Climate, Energy, Environment and Water, and for Industry, Science and Resources.
In her maiden speech to the 47th Parliament, Mascarenhas highlighted the multicultural character of Swan, noting that nearly half of the electorate’s residents were born overseas. She also spoke candidly about her family’s experience with the White Australia policy, which was still in place when her parents first arrived. She credited the Whitlam government’s reforms for enabling her family to build a life in Australia.
Her career in mining gave her firsthand exposure to workplace culture and the need for reform. She has drawn parallels between safety transformations on mine sites and the kind of cultural change needed in Canberra. Encouraging people to speak up, she says, is as critical in Parliament as it is in industry.
The sari she wore featured a design called Emu Dreaming by Warlpiri artist Lee Nangala Gallagher. The arrow-shaped emu footprints are visible in the fabric’s pattern, and the artwork comes from the Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, one of the oldest Aboriginal-owned art centres in Central Australia. Zaneta had a piece of the fabric large enough to be tailored into a sari. She chose to wear it using the Indian technique to showcase First Nations design, seeing it as a way to celebrate both cultures on Parliament’s opening day.
The decision to wear a sari with Indigenous artwork for the Parliament’s first sitting of the term was symbolic but grounded. It reflected her long-standing advocacy for inclusion and recognition, particularly for marginalised communities.
While there is still limited detail on upcoming legislation, the reference to financial abuse in the Governor-General’s speech points to growing momentum behind reforms. These may include changes to banking obligations, improvements in financial sector training, and legal updates to better address coercive financial control.
Mascarenhas’s advocacy on this issue, along with her background in climate action and multicultural engagement, marks her as a distinctive voice in the 48th Parliament. Her policy work is shaped by a combination of lived experience and professional insight. From mining sites to the national stage, she continues to build on that foundation, linking local action with broader reform.
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✨#ZanetaMascarenhas MP wears Indigenous-designed sari in Parliament. 🏛️First woman MP for Swan & Goan-Australian pioneer. 💰Champions financial abuse reforms & climate action. 🌏Symbolises multicultural unity in policymaking. #TheIndianSun
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