The previous defence minister and Liberal party stalwart Kevin Andrews has died aged 69.
Andrews died on Friday along with his spouse, Margie, by his facet, his household introduced in an announcement shared by the former prime minister Tony Abbott on social media.
He had been battling most cancers for the previous 12 months.
“We’re deeply happy with his service to our nation, our area people and his social gathering, though shattered by his loss of life after a year-long battle with most cancers,” the assertion stated.
“Kevin was dedicated to his nation, his household, and his religion and lived a full lifetime of service.
“Proper as much as his loss of life, he was engaged on quite a few initiatives, together with his memoirs, which we’ll endeavour to have printed posthumously.”
The daddy of 5 represented the blue-ribbon seat of Menzies in Melbourne’s east for 3 a long time, holding distinguished cupboard positions within the Howard and Abbott Coalition governments.
He was a senior determine within the Liberal social gathering’s proper wing who championed conservative causes and served at numerous instances as minister for defence, social companies, immigration, ageing and office relations.
Andrews was born within the Gippsland city of Sale in jap Victoria and moved to Melbourne to review regulation at each Monash College and the College of Melbourne.
He labored as an affiliate to Sir James Gobbo on the supreme court docket of Victoria earlier than leaving to turn into a barrister.
After six years he moved into politics, successful Menzies in a 1991 byelection, which he held for the subsequent 31 years.
He rose to prominence whereas nonetheless a backbencher when he launched the Andrews invoice in 1996, which restricted the rights of the ACT and Northern Territory to make euthanasia legal guidelines. The laws remained in place for the subsequent 25 years earlier than being repealed in 2023.
As a cupboard minister, he pushed for a number of controversial items of laws, together with a citizenship check and industrial relations package deal WorkChoices.
He nominated them amongst his achievements in his valedictory speech to parliament, though WorkChoices confronted robust opposition and was a significant component within the Coalition’s defeat within the 2007 election.
He backed Abbott when Malcolm Turnbull challenged him for the management in 2015, unsuccessfully standing for deputy chief in opposition to Julie Bishop on the identical day.
A loyal Catholic, Andrews opposed abortion, same-sex marriage and stem cell analysis. He married his spouse, Margaret, in 1979.
Andrews retired in 2022 after losing a preselection battle for Menzies, the primary time a sitting federal Liberal MP was unseated in a Victorian preselection battle in additional than three a long time.
He was the longest-serving member of parliament on the time and in his closing speech stated he entered politics to make a distinction.
“It was a priority that authorities was not acknowledging and responding adequately to the wants of households, significantly these with youngsters, that motivated me to face for election within the first place,” he stated in March 2022.
Andrews additionally labored as a sports activities reporter, race caller and wrote a number of books on subjects together with marriage, Italian biking and a biography of Australia’s tenth prime minister, Joseph Lyons.
“Kevin Andrews devoted his life to the issues he cared for many: household, religion, group and nation,” the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said in a statement.
“He served all 4 with integrity and devotion.
“Kevin’s Liberal colleagues and his Labor opponents would agree, he was a person of conviction. He was revered as somebody who held his views firmly and argued them fiercely.”
Abbott stated in a statement posted to X that Andrews was “a fantastic Australian, a extremely efficient minister, a loyal colleague, and an awesome buddy”.
“Nearly to the final, Kevin was taking advantage of his time, ‘filling the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds value of distance run’, writing usually for The Spectator and getting ready his memoirs,” Abbott stated.
“His robust sense of responsibility and repair; his human decency and customary sense; made him an adornment to our public life and an exemplar for future generations.”
Keith Wolahan, who succeeded Andrews because the member for Menzies after defeating him in preselection in 2021, stated in a statement posted to X that Andrews was “a person of unwavering precept and conviction, whose dedication to his nation, his religion, his household, and his group outlined his life”.
“His a long time of public service had been marked by braveness, selflessness, and a steadfast dedication to enhancing the lives of others.
“Whereas a lot will rightly be stated of Kevin’s important contributions to the Parliament and our nation, it’s his position as a faithful husband and loving father that stands above all.”
The Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, stated in an announcement posted to Facebook that he was deeply unhappy about Andrews’s loss of life.
“Amongst so many items he shared, there have been three dimensions to Kevin’s life that had been fairly extraordinary,” Comensoli stated.
“He was: A person of deep and noteworthy religion; a person dedicated wholeheartedly to marriage and household; and a person of devoted public service.”
Former federal director of the Liberal party Brian Loughnane described Andrews as “a real parliamentarian at all times guided by his religion in his public profession and personal life”.
Former Labor party leader Bill Shorten stated of Andrews: “Whereas we had been opposed on many political fronts, I revered that he at all times fought for his values: what you noticed was what you bought. He was a gentleman who wore his religion with satisfaction.”
