Edmond Atalla (born 17 July 1960)[2] is an Australian politician and professional engineer. A member of the Labor Party, Atalla has represented Mount Druitt in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since 2015. The child of Coptic Egyptian parents, Atalla is known for his advocacy for members of Australia's Coptic community.[3]
Edmond Atalla | |
|---|---|
 Atalla in 2022 | |
| Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Mount Druitt | |
| Assumed office 28 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Amery |
| Deputy Mayor of Blacktown | |
| In office September 2006 – September 2007 | |
| Mayor | Leo Kelly |
| Preceded by | Barbara Gapps |
| Succeeded by | Michelle Rowland |
| Councillor of Blacktown City Council for Fourth Ward | |
| In office 23 March 2004 – 10 September 2016 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 July 1960 Port Sudan, Sudan |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Labor Party |
| Residence | Glendenning[1] |
| Alma mater | University of Wollongong |
| Profession | Civil engineer |
Early life and education
editAtalla was born in Port Sudan, Sudan on 17 July 1960 to Coptic Egyptian parents.[4] Atalla and his family migrated to Australia, arriving on Anzac Day. The family settled at Prospect, New South Wales in 1970, where Atalla attended the local public school. Atalla went on to attend Grantham High School in Seven Hills.[2] As a child, Atalla and his family attended the Coptic Orthodox Church in Redfern, Sydney.[4]
After finishing high school, Atalla was accepted to study a Bachelor of Engineering degree (Honours) at the University of Wollongong, where he graduated in 1988.[5] During his time at the University of Wollongong, Atalla gained employment as a junior engineer with Holroyd Municipal Council before he moved to the Mount Druitt Electorate in 1987.
Career
editIn 1989 Atalla was hired as the NSW state project engineer for CSR Readymix, where he later gained a builder's licence. In 1993 Atalla moved back to local government as an engineer for the Liverpool City Council, and was then promoted to building services manager for the citywide services in 1997, and again in 2000 to corporate manager of operations (head of the Engineering Operations Department).
In 2005 Atalla became the national building systems manager, a senior position with AVJennings where he was responsible for organisations management. In August 2014 he left private and public engineering to pursue a career in politics when he was preselected to be the NSW Labor candidate for Mount Druitt.
Political career
editEarly political career
editAtalla credits his interest into politics when he witnessed first hand the struggles of community members. This defining moment occurred in 1987 when he assisted an elderly man who could not afford to replace his set of dentures after they fell down a Council storm-water drain. Atalla was able to retrieve the dentures, however the man's inability to afford another set "struck a chord", and Atalla resolved to help ensure that all people would have better access to basic necessities.[2]
Atalla joined the Labor Party two years later, in 1989, and states he was "attracted to the principals of Social Justice including access to health and education, employment opportunities, and greater equality in wealth and power".[6] From 2002 to 2007, Atalla was elected as the Vice President and from 2007 to 2015 he acted as Secretary/Treasurer of the Rooty Hill Branch of the Labor Party.[6]
In 2004 he was elected to Blacktown City Council, and in 2006 and 2007 he was deputy mayor. Within his time at the Blacktown City Council, he held the following positions;
- Delegate – Floodplain Management Authorities of NSW (2004–2008)
- Chair – Planning and Development Committee (2008–2012)
- Chair – Historical Committee (2008–2012)
- Vice-president – Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (WSROC)(2009–2010)
New South Wales parliament
editIn 2015, Atalla won the Mount Druitt seat in the New South Wales parliament by a landslide, with a total of 65.4% of the vote against NSW Liberal Party candidate Olivia Lloyd.[7] During this time he served on the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety. In 2019, Atalla again won the Mount Druitt seat in the NSW parliament and experienced a positive swing, gaining 66.4% of the vote.[8] In 2019, Atalla supported Chris Minns' campaign to be leader of NSW Labor, which reportedly put him into conflict with fellow Labor MLA Marjorie O'Neill.[9]
In office Atalla publicly opposed plans to demolish the Coptic Church's historic church at Sydenham.[10] In 2017, Atalla attended a ceremony hosted by Pope Tawadros II to commemorate the construction of a new Coptic Church at Kellyville.[11] Atalla criticized fellow Sudanese-Australian Yassmin Abdel-Magied over her comments on Anzac Day in 2017.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Candidates - The Legislative Assembly District of Mount Druitt". elections.nsw.gov.au. New South Wales Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ^ a b c "Professionals Australia member profile: Edmond Atalla – Professionals Australia". Professionals Australia. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- ^ "Edmond Atalla becomes Australia's first MP of Egyptian ancestry | Australian Coptic Movement (ACM)". www.auscma.com. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Inaugural Speeches - Edmond Atalla" (PDF). Parliament of New South Wales. 14 May 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 October 2020.
- ^ University of, Wollongong (1998). "University of Wollongong Graduation Booklet – Health and Behavioural Sciences, Engineering and Science". Research Online.
- ^ a b "Mr Edmond Atalla". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
- ^ "Mount Druitt- NSW Electorate, Candidates, Results". NSW election 2015. ABC News. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ^ "Electoral District of Mount Druitt". NSW state election results 2019. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- ^ Visentin, Lisa (6 June 2019). "'People are feeling pressured': fight for NSW Labor leadership getting 'ugly'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "Deputy Commissioner Nick Kaldas and Mr Edmond Atalla MP have pledged their support". Australian Coptic Heritage and Community Services. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ Machado, Lawrence (1 September 2017). "Pope Tawadros II lays foundation stone for Kellyville church". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ LOUSSIKIAN, KYLAR; RAWSTHORNE, MILES GODFREY & SALLY (25 April 2017). "'We will never forget her comments'". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
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