Meet Bisma Asif: Queensland Parliament's First Pakistani, Punjabi & Muslim MP
- Staff Writer
- Aug 13
- 3 min read
Bisma Asif made history last year as the first Pakistani Punjabi and first Muslim elected to Queensland Parliament.
Recently, Asif re-shared her first speech to the Queensland Parliament on the occasion of Multicultural Queensland Month.
“I am proud to be the first Pakistani and Punjabi elected to the Queensland Parliament,” Asif said. “I am proud to speak three languages of my family and ancestors - Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi.”
In her debut speech as the new member for Sandgate, she made clear that her journey to this moment was paved with hardship, gratitude, and determination.
“I know what it is like to have just 70 cents in my account and not know how I was going to make ends meet,” she told the chamber. “A lot of people out there are working hard and doing their best but doing it tough. I am here to do what I can to make a difference.”
Urdu, Punjabi & Hindi
Switching between English, Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi, she spoke of representing modern Queensland: “I am proud to speak three languages of my family and ancestors… proud of the diverse, hardworking and vibrant people who come together to make Australia a beautiful multicultural society.”
Her Muslim faith, she said, “has taught me the value of service to others, the importance of justice and the belief that we are all part of something greater than ourselves.”
Standing on land of the Turrbal people — the traditional custodians of the Sandgate area, known in its Aboriginal name Warra as ‘the expanse of open water’ — Asif paid tribute to both the First Nations heritage and the multicultural diversity of her constituency.
“The promise of Australia… is that no matter where you come from, no matter your circumstances, with hard work and opportunity, you can build a better life.”
A Childhood of Change and Challenge
Asif’s powerful speech traced her path from Lahore, Pakistan, to Brisbane’s bayside. She was just eight when her parents migrated in 2004 to western Sydney “with little more than a dream and the belief that with hard work, education, opportunity and determination, we could build a better life.”
She recalled her early years struggling without English:
“On many days, I stood in front of the classroom not understanding the words around me… I remember that feeling of isolation.”
That changed when she was helped by a patient ESL teacher, Mrs Dux.
Her family gained Australian citizenship three years later — “We had the buffet at the Blacktown Workers Club; it was a good day” — before eventually settling in Queensland.
At just 19, she became her sister’s legal guardian, juggled full-time university with three jobs, and often relied on welfare and grocery coupons.
“Only Labor addresses inequality in all its forms,” she said, explaining her decision to join the party in 2016.
'I Was The Victim Of Wage Theft'
Education, she told parliament, “is the foundation of our future… A good public education changed my whole life.” Her work in policy — including on aged-care reforms under Minister Anika Wells — reinforced her commitment to secure jobs, universal healthcare, and workers’ rights.
“I was the victim of wage theft when I worked in hospitality,” Asif recalled. She praised Labor’s move to criminalise wage theft but added, “There is more work to do to provide more secure, well-paid jobs where workers are treated with respect.”
Healthcare remains at the heart of her political drive: “Access to quality healthcare should never be determined by your postcode, income or background. Healthcare is a right for all, not a privilege for the few.” She vowed to push for more funding for hospitals, better mental health services, and cheaper medications.
'Thanks To My Parents: Bisma Asif
The new MP closed with heartfelt thanks to her parents “for your courage in leaving your homeland to give us the best opportunities,” her sister Aamna, “for always cheering me on,” and her husband Mitchell, whom she met campaigning for Medicare: “I could not have done this without your support… Every sacrifice has brought us here to this very moment.”
She closed her debut speech with gratitude and determination: “I stand here proud… as a girl born in Lahore, who grew up in Blacktown, and who now calls Sandgate home. I promise now and every day to fight for the people I represent… I will not let you down.”
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