🔥 Trending Mehreen Faruqi: Who is the Pakistani-Australian politician?

Mehreen Faruqi is a prominent Australian politician, engineer, and activist, currently serving as a federal Senator for New South Wales, representing the Australian Greens party ¹². She is also the Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens ⁷.

Early Life and Professional Background

Born on July 8, 1963, in Pakistan, Mehreen Faruqi moved to Sydney, Australia, in 1992 ¹⁴. She pursued higher education at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), where she earned a Master of Engineering Science in 1994, followed by a Doctorate in Environmental Engineering ⁴.

Before her political career, Faruqi had a distinguished career as a civil and environmental engineer, accumulating 20 years of experience in sustainability and environmental management ⁷. Her professional roles included working in local government, consulting, and higher education institutions ⁷. She also contributed to policy development, authoring a position paper in 2009 on achieving systemic change for sustainability through community education and engagement for the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water ⁶.

Political Career

Faruqi's political journey began in New South Wales state politics. In 2013, she made history by becoming the first Muslim woman to sit in an Australian parliament when she joined the NSW State Parliament as a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Council for The Greens (NSW) ²³. She served in this capacity until 2018 ³.

On August 15, 2018, Faruqi transitioned to federal politics, chosen by the Parliament of New South Wales to represent the state in the Senate ¹³. As a Senator, she continues her lifelong advocacy for social and environmental justice ².

Recent Public Profile

Mehreen Faruqi has recently been in the news due to a high-profile case involving racial discrimination. On July 27, 2026, a court upheld the finding that Pauline Hanson engaged in racial discrimination against Senator Faruqi. This ruling stemmed from a tweet by Hanson suggesting Faruqi should "pack your bags and piss off back to..." ⁸. This event highlights Faruqi's role as a public figure confronting issues of racism and discrimination in Australian politics.