Michael Pettersson

Michael Hugh Pettersson (born 1991) is an Australian politician. He has been a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian Capital Territory since 2016 when he was elected as the Labor Party representative for the newly formed electorate of Yerrabi.

For the Swedish Olympic equestrian, see Michael Pettersson (equestrian).

Michael Pettersson
MLA
Member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
for Yerrabi
Assumed office
15 October 2016
Preceded byDivision created
Personal details
Born1991 (age 31–32)
NationalityAustralian
Political partyAustralian Labor Party (ACT Branch)
Alma materAustralian National University
OccupationTrade unionist
Websitewww.michaelpettersson.com.au

Early life and career

Pettersson was raised in Canberra[1] and studied at the Australian National University. During this time he became involved in student politics, serving as the ACT Branch President of the National Union of Students[2] and President of the ANU Sport & Recreation Association.[3][4] He also served as President of ACT Young Labor.[5] After graduating, he worked as a trade unionist for the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.[6]

Political career

Pettersson contested the seat of Yerrabi in the 2016 ACT election and received 4,817 primary votes or 0.6 of a quota. In the campaign, he drew attention for his creative use of social media.[7] He was elected in third position in the five member Yerrabi electorate behind Meegan Fitzharris and Alistair Coe. In the 2020 ACT election, Pettersson was elected second behind former Liberal Leader, Alistair Coe, with 5,084 votes.[8]

He is currently the Chair of the Standing Committee for Education and Community Inclusion, the Deputy Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and a member of the Health and Community Wellbeing Committee.[9]

In Pettersson's inaugural speech he highlighted growing intergenerational inequality, the importance of education, and the dangers of casualisation in the workforce. [10]

Pettersson has campaigned for more light rail services[11] and the expansion of the popular Canberra e-scooters to his electorate of Yerrabi.[12] In April 2021, Pettersson put forward a motion calling on the ACT Government to improve the facilities at Yerrabi Pond following the ACT Legislative Assembly e-petition he sponsored, which gained cross-party support.[13]

Pettersson is a member of the Labor Left faction.

Cannabis legalisation

In September 2018, Pettersson introduced a historic bill to legalise the possession and personal use of small amounts of cannabis in the ACT.[14] This Bill was passed by the ACT Legislative Assembly on the 25th of September 2019, making the ACT the first jurisdiction to legalise cannabis in Australia.[15]

Drug decriminalisation

In February 2021, Pettersson introduced a bill into the ACT Legislative Assembly to decriminalise small quantities of some drugs.[16] Under this proposed legislation certain drugs such as MDMA, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin would be decriminalised in small quantities for personal use and possession.[17] The Legislative Assembly is currently undertaking an Inquiry into the Bill which will be reported on in October 2021.[18]

Personal life

One of Pettersson's hobbies is chess. He became the first politician to play in the 25th Australian National University Chess Open in Canberra.[19] Pettersson also enjoys mountain biking, yoga and the US TV Show 'Survivor'.[9]

References
  1. "About". Michael Pettersson. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  2. "RETRACTED – NUS gets heavy with alleged ANUSA fraud". RiotACT. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  3. Pettersson, Michael (13 April 2015). "ANU and Political Membership". Woroni. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  4. Ingram, Jacob; Kaufmann, Anna (18 March 2015). "ANU Sport Election Shambles". Woroni. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  5. "Tips and rumours". Crikey. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  6. "Michael Pettersson - Candidate for Yerrabi". Labor Party.
  7. Brown, Andrew (7 October 2016). "ACT Election: Labor candidate using Tinder to connect with young voters". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  8. "Yerrabi - ACT Electorate, Candidates, Results". abc.net.au. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  9. Manager, Web (12 March 2020). "Pettersson-Michael". www.parliament.act.gov.au. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  10. "Michael Pettersson MLA > Inaugural Speech". michaelpettersson.com.au. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  11. Brown, Andrew (6 February 2020). "Extra light rail services added to cope with growing demand". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  12. Vue, Toby (20 June 2021). "Calls to roll out 'hugely popular' e-scooters to outer suburbs". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  13. Bushnell, Ian. "Petition calls for Yerrabi Pond clean-up and new facilities". The RiotACT. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  14. Burgess, Katie (17 September 2018). "New Labor bill would make using and growing cannabis legal in Canberra". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  15. "ACT legalises personal cannabis use but warns smokers they're not safe from federal laws". www.abc.net.au. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  16. Bartle, Jarryd; Lee, Nicole. "Drugs could soon be decriminalised in the ACT. Here's why that would be a positive step". The Conversation. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  17. White, Daniella (14 December 2020). "ACT push to decriminalise heroin, ice and MDMA possession". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  18. Manager, Web (25 June 2021). "Inquiry into the Drugs of Dependence (Personal Use) Amendment Bill 2021". www.parliament.act.gov.au. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  19. "Check mates compete at Australian National University Chess Open". The Canberra Times. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
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