Kottayam: Jinson Anto Charls, a native of Kottayam is all set to be sworn in as minister of Australia's Northern Territory. The 37-year-old expatriate is the nephew of Congress leader and Pathanamthitta MP Anto Antony.
Charls won the election to the Northern Territory Parliament in Australia with a thumping margin from the Sanderson constituency as the Country Liberal Party candidate.
Speaking to PTI, Anto Antony said Charls, who left for Australia in 2011 after securing a job in the nursing sector, is currently the Director of Recovery and Rehabilitation Services of the Top End Mental Health, Alcohol, and Other Drug Services in the Northern Territory, and a lecturer at Charles Darwin University.
"He is my younger brother's son. He will take the oath as a minister on Tuesday. We are all very happy about his victory. It's also a proud moment for Indians abroad," he said on Monday.
Hailing from Moonnilavu in Kottayam district, Charls is one of the eight ministers to be sworn into the Cabinet headed by Lia Finocchiaro. He will be the Minister for People, Sport, and Culture, Disability, Arts, Youth, Seniors, Equality, Multicultural Affairs, and Veterans, Antony said.
Charls said he won the Sanderson constituency with a significant margin, in an area previously dominated by the Labour Party. Although the Liberal Party offered him two other constituencies to contest, he chose to focus on Sanderson after assessing its characteristics.
Charls told PTI that his profession as a healthcare worker helped him overcome the disadvantage of being a foreigner, which contributed to his electoral success. He said he was widely accepted, like a family member, in many places.
Charls noted that when he introduced himself as a nurse, he noticed a significant change in people's attitude. According to Charls, the trust and respect the Indian community has earned in the healthcare sector were key factors in the support he received during the election.
Before moving to Australia, he had tried his luck in student politics in Kerala. During his student days (2008-2010), he served as the unit president of the Kerala Students Union (KSU) at Little Flower College of Nursing in Angamaly.
(With PTI inputs)