Born and bred in Blacktown, New South Wales, to Bosnian parents, Edham Nurredin Husic wants to secure a better future for the younger generation in his community.

Husic still resides in Blacktown with his wife Bridget and is determined to help his electorate develop and build a sustainable future. His educational background includes successful completion of primary and secondary schooling at Blacktown South Public School and Mitchell High School respectively, and being among the first wave of students to graduate from the University of Western Sydney and first to be elected into Parliament.

A member of the ALP since 1989, Husic’s career began after completing a BA in Applied Communications. Husic has held positions such as adviser and consultant in a number of organisations, including the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and energy company Integral Energy. It was his last position as national president of communications for the Electrical and Plumbing Union that allowed Husic to focus on and directly help local workers.

Husic has had the experience of working first-hand with local small businesses and community groups in both the private and public sector. Affiliations with local groups, including, Blacktown Migrant Resource Centre and the Mt Druitt Community Legal Centre, have increased Husic’s drive to build a better future for the population of Chifley.

At the 2004 election, he unsuccessfully challenged for the federal seat of Greenway, losing by 800 votes to Louise Markus, amid allegations of an under-handed campaign by Liberals playing on Husic’s Muslim heritage. In the lead-up to the election, campaign leaflets were dropped in letterboxes around Greenway, allegedly from Husic, reading ‘Ed is working hard to get a better deal for Islam in Greenway’.

In 2010, Husic won the seat of Chifley for Labor by a margin of 12% ahead of the then Liberal candidate Venus Priest. Husic made history as the first elected Muslim to Federal Parliament and was sworn in by the Chief Justice of the High Court with his hand on the Koran.

While Husic often refers to himself as ‘a non-practicing Muslim’ and downplays his religion, it was a significant moment for Muslim Australians and a step in the right direction toward a united Australia after past failed attempts by Muslims to become a member of parliament.

A vocal advocate for public education in Chifley, with aspirations ‘for every local school to be of world-class standard’, Husic has a long-standing interest in social work, which has seen his actions as a MP reflect his interests in aiding the younger generation.

Husic continues to involve the public in his decisions on community programs and funding, asking local schools and parents to give feedback into the latest comprehensive report on school funding as well as the introduction of the Gillard government’s ‘My School’ website.

In his first year elected as an MP, Husic initiated the Chifley ‘Young Leader Award’ to showcase the talents of young people. Entrants submit an statement about what leadership means to them – a way for Husic to gain input from local community members on the issues that are important to them.

Husic played a large hand in the government’s controversial Building the Education Revolution (BER) program. The BER focuses on providing local schools with funding to open new education spaces to help support future generations of students and ensure they have facilities suited to modern learning environments.

Additionally, together with Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth, Peter Garrett, Husic introduced the ‘No school, no play’ project into Sydney schools, a reflection of his ‘great love of the great game of basketball’. The aim of the project is to give students who love sport extra incentives to stay in school and keep up regular attendance and participation in educational activities.

Using kids’ motivation to play sports, ‘No school, no play’ aims to help keep students interested in and engaged in school, educate them on nutrition and wellbeing and improve their skills so that they will complete year 12 and move on to employment.

A technology enthusiast himself, Husic understands the vital importance of being able to access technology. An avid Twitter and Facebook user, Husic’s latest initiative challenged the high prices of international technology brought into Australia.

Husic called for a parliamentary inquiry regarding the unfair prices charged by Apple and other IT companies – the main reason being equality. The inquiry will provide insight into why small business and families have to put up with such extreme prices when the costs are much lower overseas. He wants to see prices altered to a fair level, so that everyone can access what is fundamental for their future education and business needs.

Similarly, in 2011 when the initial National Broadband Network (NBN) roll-out plan was unveiled, major suburbs within the Chifley electorate Doonside and Woodcroft missed out. Husic slammed the NBN Co for ignoring his electorate. In fighting this proposal, Husic was successful in causing all new housing estates to have mandatory fibre connections.

The first suburb to be connected is the suburb of Doonside in Sydney’s West. With concerns raised by businesses in Woodcroft and Doonside in relation to their inadequate and congested internet access, Husic has now made it possible for his electorate to have access to NBN that will ‘revolutionise the way schools, healthcare and business would operate’.

Husic’s concerns are clearly focused on providing greater access to technology, and through it, education for Chifley and the wider Australian public. Being a resident of Chifley for most of his life, describing himself as ‘Blacktown through and through’, Husic says he actively participates in making his community a better place to live.

Personal appearances at government program initiatives and offering free tax returns for small businesses along with the introduction of young leadership programmes are two examples his enthusiasm towards providing a better Chifley together with his residents.

Regardless of any backlash as a result of his religion, Husic is determined to promote a united and balanced Australia, finally bringing together ‘the children of Abraham, Christians, Jews and Muslims… for the national good, united under this one roof’.

Christina Lovrecz is a journalism student at La Trobe University.

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