Kaushaliya Vaghela

{{short description|Australian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}

{{Use Australian English|date=December 2018}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = MLC

| name = Kaushaliya Vaghela

| honorific_suffix =

| image =

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| office = Secretary of the New Democrats

| term_start = 2022

| term_end =

| predecessor = Position established

| successor =

| office1 = Member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Western Metropolitan Region

| term_start1 = 24 November 2018

| term_end1 = 26 November 2022

| predecessor1 = Colleen Hartland
Huong Truong

| successor1 = David Ettershank

| birth_name = Kaushaliya Virjibhai Vaghela

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Jamnagar, Gujarat, India{{cite web |url=https://hansard.parliament.vic.gov.au/?IW_INDEX=Hansard-2018-1&IW_FIELD_TEXT=SpeechIdKey%20CONTAINS%20(19-12-2018_council_1812191274)%20AND%20OrderId%20CONTAINS%20(0)&LDMS=Y |title=Parliament of Victoria – Kaushaliya Vaghela Inaugural Speech |last= |first= |date=19 December 2018 |website=hansard.parliament.vic.gov.au |publisher=Parliament of Victoria |access-date= |quote=}}

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| citizenship = Australian

| party = {{plainlist|

• New Democrats {{small|(since 2022)}}
• Independent {{small|(2022)}}
• Labor {{small|(until 2022)}}

}}

| spouse = Dinesh Chauhan{{cite news |last=Bucci |first=Nino |date=1 November 2021 |title=Victorian MP's husband paid taxpayer-funded salary for factional work, Ibac hears |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/nov/01/victorian-mps-husband-paid-taxpayer-funded-salary-for-factional-work-ibac-hears |work=Guardian Australia |location= |access-date=}}

| partner =

| children =

| father = Virjibhai Vaghela

| mother = Yamunaben Gohil

| residence =

| education =

| alma_mater = RMIT University{{cite web |url=https://electionwatch.unimelb.edu.au/articles/under-representation-of-asian-australians-in-politics |title=Under-representation of Asian Australians |last=Wyeth |first=Grant |date=24 March 2021 |website=electionwatch.unimelb.edu.au |publisher=Asia Institute, University of Melbourne |access-date= |quote= |archive-date=25 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625141601/https://electionwatch.unimelb.edu.au/articles/under-representation-of-asian-australians-in-politics |url-status=dead }}

| occupation = {{hlist|Research Assistant|Part Time Ministerial Advisor|Politician}}

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| website = {{URL|https://www.kaushaliyavaghela.com.au/|kaushaliyavaghela.com.au}}

}}

Kaushaliya Virjibhai Vaghela is a former Australian politician. She was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council from 2018 to 2022, representing the Western Metropolitan Region.{{cite news |title=Victoria Votes - Western Metropolitan Region |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/vic-election-2018/results/wmet/?nw=0 |access-date=2022-10-17 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}} She is the first Indian-born member of the Victorian Parliament since colonial times,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theindiansun.com.au/2019/01/20/im-fanatic-freedom-fairness-feminism-says-kaushaliya-vaghela/|title='I'm a fanatic for freedom, fairness, feminism', says Kaushaliya Vaghela |date=2019-01-20|website=The Indian Sun |access-date=2019-06-19}} and is a Hindu. Before her preselection in 2018, she briefly worked as a part-time adviser to then-State Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Robin Scott.