Kevin Andews: Catholic conservative

25 Nov 2009, 12:20 pm   -   Source: AAp
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Kevin Andrews is a former Howard minister. (AAP)

Kevin Andrews is a former Howard minister. (AAP)

Kevin Andrews, a dour social conservative who has been at the centre of some of the most controversial issues of the past decade, seems an unlikely potential Liberal Party leader.

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Kevin Andrews, a dour social conservative who has been at the centre of some of the most controversial issues of the past decade, seems an unlikely potential Liberal Party leader.
   
In many ways, he and Malcolm Turnbull are at the opposite ends of the social and ideological spectrums within the party.

WorkChoice, Haneef

The Catholic lawyer and strong family values advocate was the architect of the widely hated Work Choices and, at the end of the Howard era, the immigration minister caught up in the Mohamed Haneef affair.
   
Andrews, 54, was born to working class parents in Sale in Victoria's Gippsland.

He took a law degree from Melbourne University, while living at the Catholic Newman College, and later a masters degree at Monash.

As a lawyer, he took a close interest in health ethics, an interest which surfaced again later during his political career.

Andrews went to federal parliament as member for Menzies at a 1991 by-election.

As a backbencher in 1966 he successfully steered his private member's bill to overrule the Northern Territory's euthanasia laws through parliament.
   
That was the first of a number of actions that demonstrated his strong pro-life commitment. He was also to vote against stem cell research and the freeing up of the abortion drug RU-486.

Andrews became ageing minister in 2001 and employment and workplace relations minister in 2005.

'Master of detail'

In that role he worked hand-in-glove with John Howard to develop Work Choices, the radical industrial relations system that severely cut the power of unions and was a major factor in the coalition's defeat in 2007.

Andrews was a master of detail and a firm, steady speaker. But there was no charisma.

"I have always thought that a quiet, measured approach gets you a lot further than an in-your-face approach," he once said.

Haneef affair

In early 2007, Howard shifted Andrews to immigration, another poisoned chalice.

There he attracted huge criticism for revoking the visa of Dr Haneef after the Gold Coast doctor and terrorist suspect was granted bail.
   
After the election of Labor, Andrews went to the backbench and showed no sign of further political ambition until his disillusionment with Turnbull surfaced.
   
Between parliamentary duties he taught part-time at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne.

He and his wife Margie - they have five children - have also run marriage education classes and written books on the subject.
 

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Your Comments

Andrews? Labor victories guaranteed

Fred - from Bundaberg, 3 years ago

Kevin Andrews as Liberal leader? What a joke. We'd be guaranteed a Labor government for as long as he's there.

Bring back Peter Costello

Aml - from Adelaide, 3 years ago

I am confident that only Peter can save Liberal from drowning and from this mess.

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