Anika Wells

Anika Wells
Anika Wells; MP
Member of the Australian Parliament for Lilley
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 18 May 2019
Preceded by	Wayne Swan
Personal details
Born	Anika Shay Wells[1]; 11 August 1985[2]; South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Labor
Alma mater	Griffith University; Australian National University
Website	Official website

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 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]

Personal life

As of May 2020, Wells has one daughter and is expecting twins with her husband Finn.[8]

References

"Qualification checklist" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
"Ms Anika Wells MP – Parliament of Australia". Retrieved 13 April 2020.
"Federal election 2019 result in Lilley sees Labor claim Brisbane seat". ABC News. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
"Anika Wells". Queensland Labor. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
"Anika Wells". Maurice Blackburn. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
https://www.smh.com.au/federal-election-2019/labor-claims-victory-in-close-brisbane-seat-20190527-p51rpn.html
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.
Doran, Matthew (10 May 2020). "Labor MP Anika Wells says coronavirus restrictions have shown need for workplace flexibility". ABC News. Retrieved 10 May 2020.

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Wayne Swan	Member for Lilley 2019–present	Incumbent

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[aec-1] "Qualification checklist" (PDF). Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 29 May 2019.

[aph-2] "Ms Anika Wells MP – Parliament of Australia". Retrieved 13 April 2020.

[abc-3] "Federal election 2019 result in Lilley sees Labor claim Brisbane seat". ABC News. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.

[alp-4] "Anika Wells". Queensland Labor. Retrieved 7 November 2020.

[mb-5] "Anika Wells". Maurice Blackburn. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.

[6] ttps://www.smh.com.au/federal-election-2019/labor-claims-victory-in-close-brisbane-seat-20190527-p51rpn.html

[youngest-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] Doran, Matthew (10 May 2020). "Labor MP Anika Wells says coronavirus restrictions have shown need for workplace flexibility". ABC News. Retrieved 10 May 2020.