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Kevin Andrews (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Kevin James Andrews is an Australian politician and member of the Liberal Party of Australia
. He is a member of the House of Representatives
and was Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
in the Howard Government
, having previously been Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
from 7 October 2003 to 30 January 2007, during which time he implemented the controversial WorkChoices
labour market reforms. He is now a member of the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services.
, Victoria, and was educated at Melbourne University where he lived at Newman College
. He completed a Master of Laws (LLM) at Monash University
and practised as a barrister
.
He was co-ordinator of Continuing Legal Education for the Law Institute of Victoria
from 1981 to 1983 and an associate to Sir James Gobbo
, Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria
, from 1983 to 1985.
While practising law he was involved with the St Vincent's Bioethics Centre, the Mercy Hospital for Women, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Lincoln School of Health Sciences. He was also a board member of Caritas Christi Hospice.
in Victoria
, representing the Liberal Party of Australia
.
As a backbencher
, Andrews authored the Euthanasia Laws Bill 1996 to overrule Northern Territory
legislation that legalised euthanasia
(the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995). It is one of only fifteen Private Member's Bill
s passed into law in Australian parliamentary history.
Andrews has called for an end to trials of the RU-486 drug and voted against a bill that took away the Health Minister's power to veto applications to allow the drug to be used.
In taking a stance against stem cell research in 2002, he stated that it was the "first time" that "human beings can be treated as a commodity". He also took a stance against stem cell research during a debate in 2006, which resulted in the overturning of a previous ban on the research.
After the Coalition's third victory in 2001, Andrews was brought into the outer ministry as Minister for Ageing
, a portfolio in which he served from 26 November 2001 to 7 October 2003. He was subsequently appointed to Cabinet
as the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
and was responsible for introducing the Howard Government's major changes to industrial relations law in 2005, commonly known as WorkChoices
. In a reshuffle in early 2007, Andrews was made Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
, a position which he held until the swearing-in of the First Rudd Ministry
on 3 December 2007, following the defeat of the Howard Government in the 2007 election.
During 2008 and 2009 he served as Chairman of the Coalition's Policy Review Committee, reviewing and developing the Opposition's policies, until he was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet (to the position of Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services) in December 2009 by the newly elected Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott. He was also appointed Deputy Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee.
Andrews is a member of the Lyons Forum
, a socially conservative Christian faction within the Coalition
. He has served as the Forum Secretary and is credited with suggesting the name for the faction.
In the 2010 Federal election, Andrews was re-elected to the seat of Menzies
with a 2.70% swing against the Labor Party
.
, who had been granted bail on charges of aiding terrorists. This was criticised as a move to keep Haneef in detention; upon posting bail, Haneef would have been transferred from Brisbane's Wolston Correctional Centre
to Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre. Andrews defended his actions as being in accordance with the Migration Act and Haneef's lawyers challenged his interpretation of the Act in the Federal Court
.
After the Director of Public Prosecutions
dropped all charges against Haneef, Andrews refused calls to reinstate Haneef's visa, stating that his personal evidence was still valid. Andrew's refusal resulted in calls for a public inquiry into the incident by then Queensland Premier Peter Beattie
.
Andrews' justification of his decision, on the basis that he had a reasonable suspicion that Haneef had associated with suspected terrorists and therefore failed the test of good character that a person must pass to keep a visa, was rejected in the Federal Court, and the revocation of Haneef's visa was overturned. However in November, e-mails released under the Freedom of Information act appeared to indicate that Andrews' office had a plan to revoke the visa before the case went to court, in the case that bail was granted.
On 23 December 2008 the government-ordered inquiry report was released. Mr Clarke, the head of the judicial inquiry, determined Mr Andrews did not act for an improper motive.
, various media organisations carried reports disputing Andrews' claim on parliamentary and ministerial websites to have co-authored three books, having contributed only a chapter to each. Andrews argued in his own defence that
Andrews' decision to cut Australia's refugee
intake from African nations was branded by some critics as "racist",
and pulling out the race card
before the 2007 Australian Federal election.
Andrews defended the decision, saying: "Some groups don't seem to be settling and adjusting into the Australian way of life as quickly as we would hope."
Andrews accused Sudan
ese refugees of fighting in bars and congregating in parks to drink alcoholic beverages, but did not provide statistics to back up his claims.
The Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh
, described Andrews' criticism of Sudanese as "disturbing". She said: "It has been a long time since I have heard such a pure form of racism out of the mouth of any Australian politician."
Labor politician Tony Burke
branded Andrews' decision as "incompetent".
However, Andrew's actions were applauded by the former Queensland politician, Pauline Hanson
.
in a vote for a leadership spill, in opposition to Turnbull's support for the government's emissions trading scheme. He had declared himself a climate change sceptic, saying that 'the jury is still out' on human contributions to global warming. The party room however voted down having a leadership spill 48 votes to 35 and the Andrews challenge did not eventuate.
After continued leadership speculation, a second Party Room meeting was held, at which point the leadership was declared vacant. Abbott, Joe Hockey
and Malcolm Turnbull
all stood for the leadership, and Tony Abbott was ultimately successful. Following his election as Leader, Abbott promoted Andrews to the Shadow Cabinet as Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services.
, Andrews is an Adjunct Lecturer in Politics and in Marriage Education in the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne.
Andrews is an advisor to the Board of Life Decisions International (LDI), a (non-denominational) religious pro-life
group that is primarily concerned with opposing the pro-choice
Planned Parenthood
organisation. LDI campaigns for chastity
, boycotts corporations and names individual celebrities who support abortion
, euthanasia
, or embryonic stem cell
experimentation or who, in their opinion, support sexual promiscuity. These include GlaxoSmithKline
, Johnson and Johnson, Time Warner
and Disney.
Andrews has described his role as "honorary patronage". He was criticised by the Sydney Morning Herald for failing to declare his wife's membership of Life Decisions International's Board of Advisors on his entry in the Parliamentary Register of Pecuniary Interests. Life Decisions International fired back by accusing the Sydney Morning Herald of great bias and having no regard for the truth. http://fightpp.org/show.cfm?page=press&action=display&ID=130
Andrews made a speech to the Endeavour Forum on 9 April 2003 a group focusing on women's issues, opposing abortion, equal opportunity and affirmative action.
He has also spoken at the Family Council of Victoria, an organisation which regards homosexuality as the manifestation of a psychiatric disorder.
The Family Council of Victoria also opposes sex-education and anti-homophobia policies in public schools, which it claims is "pro-homosexual indoctrination" of students.
Andrews supports immigration as a way to slow population ageing in Australia. During an address to the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, he said that "The level of net overseas migration is important as net inflows of migrants to Australia reduce the rate of population ageing because migrants are younger on average than the resident population. Just under 70% of the migrant intake are in the 15–44 age cohort, compared to 43% of the Australian population as a whole. Just 10% of the migrant intake are 45 or over, compared with 38% of the Australian population."
In 2011, as a Liberal Shadow Cabinet frontbencher Andrews published a critique of the Greens policy agenda for Quadrant Magazine in which he wrote that the Australian Greens
' "objective involves a radical transformation of the culture that underpins Western civilisation" and that their agenda would threaten the "Judeo-Christian
/Enlightenment
synthesis that upholds the individual" as well as "the economic system that has resulted in the creation of wealth and prosperity for the most people in human history."
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
. He is a member of the House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
and was Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Australia)
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is responsible for overseeing the Department of Immigration and Citizenship....
in the Howard Government
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
, having previously been Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations is currently the Hon Senator Chris Evans.The Minister administers this portfolio, through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations....
from 7 October 2003 to 30 January 2007, during which time he implemented the controversial WorkChoices
WorkChoices
The Workplace Relations Act 1996, as amended by the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, popularly known as Work Choices, was a Legislative Act of the Australian Parliament that came into effect in March 2006 which involved many controversial amendments to the Workplace Relations Act 1996, the...
labour market reforms. He is now a member of the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services.
Early life
Andrews was born in SaleSale, Victoria
Sale is a city in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. It is the seat of the Shire of Wellington as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale and the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. It has a population of around 13,336, and is expected to reach a population of 14,000 soon...
, Victoria, and was educated at Melbourne University where he lived at Newman College
Newman College (University of Melbourne)
Newman College is a Roman Catholic, co-educational residential college affiliated with the University of Melbourne. During the university year it houses about 235 undergraduate students and about 55 postgraduate students and tutors...
. He completed a Master of Laws (LLM) at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
and practised as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
.
He was co-ordinator of Continuing Legal Education for the Law Institute of Victoria
Law Institute of Victoria
The Law Institute Victoria is a legal society in the Australian State of Victoria. It is the professional association for solicitors in Victoria, making rules to regulate their practice, and representing them to governments and other bodies. The Institute was founded in 1859...
from 1981 to 1983 and an associate to Sir James Gobbo
James Gobbo
Sir James Augustine Gobbo, AC, CVO, KStJ, QC was an Australian jurist and was the 25th Governor of Victoria.-Family:...
, Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
, from 1983 to 1985.
While practising law he was involved with the St Vincent's Bioethics Centre, the Mercy Hospital for Women, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Lincoln School of Health Sciences. He was also a board member of Caritas Christi Hospice.
Political career
Andrews was elected to the House of Representatives at a 1991 by-election for the Division of MenziesDivision of Menzies
The Division of Menzies is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It is bordered by the Yarra River to the north and Koonung Creek to the south. It covers the suburbs of Bulleen, Croydon Hills, Doncaster, Doncaster East,...
in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, representing the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
.
As a backbencher
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
, Andrews authored the Euthanasia Laws Bill 1996 to overrule Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
legislation that legalised euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
(the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995). It is one of only fifteen Private Member's Bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
s passed into law in Australian parliamentary history.
Andrews has called for an end to trials of the RU-486 drug and voted against a bill that took away the Health Minister's power to veto applications to allow the drug to be used.
In taking a stance against stem cell research in 2002, he stated that it was the "first time" that "human beings can be treated as a commodity". He also took a stance against stem cell research during a debate in 2006, which resulted in the overturning of a previous ban on the research.
Minister for Ageing (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Mental Health and Ageing is Mark Butler, who was appointed on 14 September 2010, following the Labor Party's win at the 2010 election...
, a portfolio in which he served from 26 November 2001 to 7 October 2003. He was subsequently appointed to Cabinet
Cabinet of Australia
The Cabinet of Australia is the council of senior ministers of the Crown, responsible to parliament. The Cabinet is appointed by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister the Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, and serves at the former's pleasure. The strictly private...
as the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations is currently the Hon Senator Chris Evans.The Minister administers this portfolio, through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations....
and was responsible for introducing the Howard Government's major changes to industrial relations law in 2005, commonly known as WorkChoices
WorkChoices
The Workplace Relations Act 1996, as amended by the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, popularly known as Work Choices, was a Legislative Act of the Australian Parliament that came into effect in March 2006 which involved many controversial amendments to the Workplace Relations Act 1996, the...
. In a reshuffle in early 2007, Andrews was made Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Australia)
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is responsible for overseeing the Department of Immigration and Citizenship....
, a position which he held until the swearing-in of the First Rudd Ministry
First Rudd Ministry
The Rudd Ministry was the 65th Australian Commonwealth ministry. It was led by Kevin Rudd of the Australian Labor Party.The Ministry was sworn in by the 24th Governor-General of Australia Major-General Michael Jeffery on 3 December 2007, following the 2007 election, and it ended on 24 June 2010...
on 3 December 2007, following the defeat of the Howard Government in the 2007 election.
During 2008 and 2009 he served as Chairman of the Coalition's Policy Review Committee, reviewing and developing the Opposition's policies, until he was promoted to the Shadow Cabinet (to the position of Shadow Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services) in December 2009 by the newly elected Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott. He was also appointed Deputy Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee.
Andrews is a member of the Lyons Forum
Lyons Forum
The Lyons Forum was a ginger group or informal political faction comprising some federal members of conservative Australian parliamentary parties. It was formed in the early 1990s and was active both in Liberal Party of Australia parliamentary leadership conflict and on family policy issues. The...
, a socially conservative Christian faction within the Coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
. He has served as the Forum Secretary and is credited with suggesting the name for the faction.
In the 2010 Federal election, Andrews was re-elected to the seat of Menzies
Division of Menzies
The Division of Menzies is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Victoria. It is located in the north-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It is bordered by the Yarra River to the north and Koonung Creek to the south. It covers the suburbs of Bulleen, Croydon Hills, Doncaster, Doncaster East,...
with a 2.70% swing against the Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
.
Haneef affair
As Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Andrews attracted controversy after he revoked on character grounds the visa of Dr Mohamed HaneefMohamed Haneef
Muhamed Haneef is an Indian doctor who was wrongly accused of aiding terrorists, and left Australia upon cancellation of his visa amid great political controversy....
, who had been granted bail on charges of aiding terrorists. This was criticised as a move to keep Haneef in detention; upon posting bail, Haneef would have been transferred from Brisbane's Wolston Correctional Centre
Wolston Correctional Centre
Wolston Correctional Centre is an Australian prison facility located in Richlands, Queensland, Australia. Wolston is a 'protection' prison, and as such houses many paedophiles, sex offenders and high profile prisoners.-Notable prisoners:* Mohamed Haneef...
to Sydney's Villawood Detention Centre. Andrews defended his actions as being in accordance with the Migration Act and Haneef's lawyers challenged his interpretation of the Act in the Federal Court
Federal Court of Australia
The Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law , along with some summary criminal matters. Cases are heard at first instance by single Judges...
.
After the Director of Public Prosecutions
Director of Public Prosecutions
The Director of Public Prosecutions is the officer charged with the prosecution of criminal offences in several criminal jurisdictions around the world...
dropped all charges against Haneef, Andrews refused calls to reinstate Haneef's visa, stating that his personal evidence was still valid. Andrew's refusal resulted in calls for a public inquiry into the incident by then Queensland Premier Peter Beattie
Peter Beattie
Peter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...
.
Andrews' justification of his decision, on the basis that he had a reasonable suspicion that Haneef had associated with suspected terrorists and therefore failed the test of good character that a person must pass to keep a visa, was rejected in the Federal Court, and the revocation of Haneef's visa was overturned. However in November, e-mails released under the Freedom of Information act appeared to indicate that Andrews' office had a plan to revoke the visa before the case went to court, in the case that bail was granted.
On 23 December 2008 the government-ordered inquiry report was released. Mr Clarke, the head of the judicial inquiry, determined Mr Andrews did not act for an improper motive.
Publications record
Following Andrews' criticism of irregularities discovered in the CV of an Indian doctor working on the Gold CoastGold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, various media organisations carried reports disputing Andrews' claim on parliamentary and ministerial websites to have co-authored three books, having contributed only a chapter to each. Andrews argued in his own defence that
- "In common, everyday parlance, as one of the authors (of a chapter) I presumed you called yourself a co-author – that's all I've simply done. I wasn't aware, to be frank, of some publishing convention that someone's referred to (that suggests otherwise). If that offends people's sensibilities well so be it, basically."
2007 immigration controversy
In October 2007 Kevin Andrews came under fire over his handling of his immigration portfolio.Andrews' decision to cut Australia's refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
intake from African nations was branded by some critics as "racist",
and pulling out the race card
Race card
Playing the race card is an idiomatic phrase that refers to exploitation of either racist or anti-racist attitudes to gain a personal advantage, typically by falsely accusing others of racism against oneself.-Usage:...
before the 2007 Australian Federal election.
Andrews defended the decision, saying: "Some groups don't seem to be settling and adjusting into the Australian way of life as quickly as we would hope."
Andrews accused Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese refugees of fighting in bars and congregating in parks to drink alcoholic beverages, but did not provide statistics to back up his claims.
The Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh
Anna Bligh
Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...
, described Andrews' criticism of Sudanese as "disturbing". She said: "It has been a long time since I have heard such a pure form of racism out of the mouth of any Australian politician."
Labor politician Tony Burke
Tony Burke
Anthony Stephen 'Tony' Burke is an Australian politician representing the Labor Party, and the current Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities . He first entered public office in 2003 as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council...
branded Andrews' decision as "incompetent".
However, Andrew's actions were applauded by the former Queensland politician, Pauline Hanson
Pauline Hanson
Pauline Lee Hanson is an Australian politician and former leader of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, a political party with a populist and anti-multiculturalism platform...
.
Leadership challenge against Malcolm Turnbull
Kevin Andrews declared his candidacy against Malcolm TurnbullMalcolm Turnbull
Malcolm Bligh Turnbull is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2004, and was Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party from 16 September 2008 to 1 December 2009.Turnbull has represented the Division...
in a vote for a leadership spill, in opposition to Turnbull's support for the government's emissions trading scheme. He had declared himself a climate change sceptic, saying that 'the jury is still out' on human contributions to global warming. The party room however voted down having a leadership spill 48 votes to 35 and the Andrews challenge did not eventuate.
After continued leadership speculation, a second Party Room meeting was held, at which point the leadership was declared vacant. Abbott, Joe Hockey
Joe Hockey
Joseph Benedict "Joe" Hockey , is an Australian politician and member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of North Sydney for the Liberal Party of Australia since 1996....
and Malcolm Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull
Malcolm Bligh Turnbull is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2004, and was Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party from 16 September 2008 to 1 December 2009.Turnbull has represented the Division...
all stood for the leadership, and Tony Abbott was ultimately successful. Following his election as Leader, Abbott promoted Andrews to the Shadow Cabinet as Minister for Families, Housing and Human Services.
Advocacy
A member of the Catholic Pontifical Council for the LaityPontifical Council for the Laity
The Pontifical Council for the Laity has the responsibility of assisting the Pope in his dealings with the laity in lay ecclesial movements or individually, and their contributions to the Church. The Cardinal President of the Council is Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko. The Secretary is Bishop Josef...
, Andrews is an Adjunct Lecturer in Politics and in Marriage Education in the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne.
Andrews is an advisor to the Board of Life Decisions International (LDI), a (non-denominational) religious pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
group that is primarily concerned with opposing the pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
organisation. LDI campaigns for chastity
Chastity
Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....
, boycotts corporations and names individual celebrities who support abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
, or embryonic stem cell
Embryonic stem cell
Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, an early-stage embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells...
experimentation or who, in their opinion, support sexual promiscuity. These include GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, Johnson and Johnson, Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
and Disney.
Andrews has described his role as "honorary patronage". He was criticised by the Sydney Morning Herald for failing to declare his wife's membership of Life Decisions International's Board of Advisors on his entry in the Parliamentary Register of Pecuniary Interests. Life Decisions International fired back by accusing the Sydney Morning Herald of great bias and having no regard for the truth. http://fightpp.org/show.cfm?page=press&action=display&ID=130
Andrews made a speech to the Endeavour Forum on 9 April 2003 a group focusing on women's issues, opposing abortion, equal opportunity and affirmative action.
He has also spoken at the Family Council of Victoria, an organisation which regards homosexuality as the manifestation of a psychiatric disorder.
The Family Council of Victoria also opposes sex-education and anti-homophobia policies in public schools, which it claims is "pro-homosexual indoctrination" of students.
Andrews supports immigration as a way to slow population ageing in Australia. During an address to the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, he said that "The level of net overseas migration is important as net inflows of migrants to Australia reduce the rate of population ageing because migrants are younger on average than the resident population. Just under 70% of the migrant intake are in the 15–44 age cohort, compared to 43% of the Australian population as a whole. Just 10% of the migrant intake are 45 or over, compared with 38% of the Australian population."
In 2011, as a Liberal Shadow Cabinet frontbencher Andrews published a critique of the Greens policy agenda for Quadrant Magazine in which he wrote that the Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
' "objective involves a radical transformation of the culture that underpins Western civilisation" and that their agenda would threaten the "Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
/Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
synthesis that upholds the individual" as well as "the economic system that has resulted in the creation of wealth and prosperity for the most people in human history."
Further reading
- Aldred, KenKen AldredKenneth James Aldred was an Australian politician who represented the Liberal Party in the Australian House of Representatives between 1975 and 1996....
; Andrews, Kevin; Filing, PaulPaul FilingPaul Anthony Filing was an Australian politician. Born in Wegberg, Germany, he was a police officer and company manager in Australia before entering politics. From 1987 to 1989, he was Campaign Co-ordinator for the Liberal Party in Western Australia...
(eds.)(1994), The Heart of Liberalism. The Albury Papers, Mitcham, Victoria. ISBN 0 646 21290 7