Kevin James Andrews

Kevin James Andrews

Kevin James Andrews (born 9 November 1955) is an Australian former politician and member of the Liberal Party of Australia. He was the Member of House of Representatives for the seat of Menzies from a by-election in 1991 until the 2022 Australian federal election. Andrews is a conservative and a Catholic.Previously, Andrews served in the Howard government as the Minister for Ageing, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and then the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship until the 2007 election, at which his party lost government. Following the 2009 Liberal leadership ballot, Andrews served in the Shadow Cabinet of Tony Abbott as shadow minister for Families, Housing and Human Services until the 2013 election where his party won government. In the Abbott government, Andrews served in the cabinet as Minister for Social Services and later Minister for Defence. At the September 2015 Liberal leadership ballot, Andrews unsuccessfully contested for the Liberal deputy leadership against Julie Bishop, while supporting Tony Abbott against Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal leader. Upon the ascension of the Turnbull government Andrews was dropped from the new Ministry and moved to the backbench.With the retirement of Philip Ruddock at the 2016 federal election, Andrews became the Father of the House. Although Warren Snowdon was first elected in 1987, Andrews was the longest continuously serving member, because Snowdon was out of the House between 1996 and 1998. Andrews was one of three parliamentary survivors of the Hawke government, the others being Snowdon and Russell Broadbent. From 2019 until his retirement in 2022, Andrews was the "Father of the Parliament", the currently longest, continuously serving member of the Australian Parliament. On 31 January 2021, Andrews lost the Liberal Party's endorsement in a preselection challenge to barrister Keith Wolahan (181 votes to 111).

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