Andrew Nikolic was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Liberal Party representative for the Tasmanian seat of Bass at the 2013 federal election, but after one term, he lost his seat at the 2016 federal election.
13 Facts About Andrew Nikolic
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Andrija Nikolic was born in Serbia, at the time part of Yugoslavia, on 20 June 1961, and migrated to Australia with his family as a four-year-old.
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Andrew Nikolic enlisted in the Australian Army in January 1979, and after completing recruit training, he was posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.
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Andrew Nikolic subsequently served in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment for almost seven years as a Platoon Commander, Reconnaissance Platoon Commander, Company Commander, and as the battalion operations officer.
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Andrew Nikolic holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics from the University of Adelaide, a Bachelor of Social Science in Human Resources Development from Southern Cross University, a Master of Management Studies from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Arts in International Relations from Deakin University, and a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College.
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Andrew Nikolic is a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College, Joint Services Staff College, Philippines Joint College, the United Nations Senior Leaders' Course, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
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From 2008 until 2011, Andrew Nikolic was employed in the Department of Defence as First Assistant Secretary, International Policy Division, with responsibility for providing strategic level policy advice to government on Australia's international defence relations and Australian Defence Force operations.
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Andrew Nikolic had expressed interest in contesting the seat of Bass after the leadup to the 2010 election when he was stationed in Canberra.
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Andrew Nikolic set up a website for his candidacy, and his campaigning activities in the Launceston area were reported in the media, along with his confrontations with local environmentalists.
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Andrew Nikolic denied making these threats, and later stated that he had no intention of contacting any employer; that his request was just for the posting to be removed.
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Andrew Nikolic was elected in September 2013 with a swing of almost 11 percent.
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On 13 February 2015, Andrew Nikolic was appointed Government Whip by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, following the dismissal of Philip Ruddock as Chief Government Whip.
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Andrew Nikolic was dropped as Government Whip on 20 September 2015 as a result of a ministerial reshuffle by the new prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, who had been elected during a leadership spill earlier that month.