Personal Profile

Andrew, one of nine children, was raised on a dairy farm just north of Melbourne. At 13 he moved with his family to Reservoir, where his parents still live.

After studying agricultural science, Andrew worked as an animal health officer for the Victorian Department of Agriculture while completing part time, an honours degree in Economics. Andrew then worked for several years as an agricultural economist, specialising in agricultural policy.

In the 80's Andrew and his family moved to Canberra where he ran the Cattle Council of Australia, before his appointment as Executive Director of the National Farmers' Federation.

From 1990 – 1997 Andrew served as Federal Director of the Liberal Party, and was campaign director for the successful 1996 election of the Howard Government.

For the seven years following 1997, Andrew had a successful business career building an Australia wide direct marketing technology company and providing strategic advice to major companies nationally and internationally.

In 2004 Andrew was elected as the Federal Parliamentary Member for the Melbourne bayside seat of Goldstein. In 2005 he was appointed the Chairman of the Government's Taskforce on Industrial Relations before being promoted to Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs in January 2006. During this time, Andrew implemented the $35 million National Action Plan aimed at supporting and improving integration of Muslim communities, facilitated the national conference of over 100 Imams', progressed the settlement of African refugees and advocated the introduction of a new Citizenship Test. Andrew was appointed Minister for Vocational and Further Education in January 2007.

As Minister for Vocational and Further Education, Andrew is responsible for implementing the Federal Government’s multi-pronged strategy to address the skills and labour shortage which is now showing itself after many years of the community talking down the trades, a rapidly ageing population and 16 years of uninterrupted economic growth.

These priorities include - 

• Getting anyone who can work into work, and encourage those who are in the workforce to stay in work;
• Re-opening the ‘old-style’, dedicated technical schools, to provide choice, specialisation and self esteem to those born with strong technical, vocational or creative skills;
• Ensuring that those who start an apprenticeship stay the distance and don’t drop out, and
• Building a culture where existing members of the workforce are encouraged to train, re-train or top up skills.  This must also include many of the 3.4 million in our workforce who didn’t finish school and have no technical or vocational training, and the grey market.

Andrew is married to Maureen, and they have three adult children.

Parliamentary Service

Elected to the House of Representatives for Goldstein, Victoria, 2004

Committee Service

House of Representatives Standing: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs from 1.12.04; Economics, Finance and Public Administration from 1.12.04.

Party positions

Member, Liberal Party Queanbeyan Branch 1988-97.
Deputy Federal Director, Liberal Party 1988-89; Federal Director, Liberal Party 1990-97.
Member, Liberal Party Cremorne Point Branch 1997-2002.
Member, Liberal Party Fundraising Committee (NSW) 1997-2004.
Honorary Finance Director (Party Treasurer), Liberal Party (NSW) 2001-04.
Member, Liberal Party Kirribilli Branch from 2002-04.
Member, Liberal Party State Executive (NSW) 2001-04.
Honorary Chair, Liberal Party Millennium Fundraising Forum (NSW) 2004.
Member, Liberal Party (Vic) from 2004.

Personal

Born 20.8.1951, Melbourne, Vic.
Married.

Qualifications and occupation before entering federal Parliament

BEc (Hons)(La Trobe), Dip AgricSc (Dookie Agricultural College).
Animal health officer, Dept of Agriculture (Vic) 1972-74; agricultural economist 1974-79.
Part-time tutor, La Trobe University 1976-79.
Economist, National Farmers' Federation 1980; Executive Director 1985-88.
Executive Director, Cattle Council of Australia 1981-84.
Deputy Federal Director, Liberal Party 1988-89.
Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition, the Hon. AS Peacock 1989-90.
Federal Director, Liberal Party 1990-97.
Senior Executive, PBL 1997-99.
Board member, Sinclair Knight Merz 1998-2001.
Chief Executive Officer, Acxiom Australia 1999-2001; Chair 2001-04.
Business adviser 2001-04.

Honours

Appointed Officer of the Order of Australia 2003.
Awarded Centenary Medal 2003.

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