1. Karen Lesley Andrews is an Australian politician who served in the Morrison government as Minister for Industry, Science and Technology from 2018 to 2021 and as Minister for Home Affairs from 2021 to 2022.
22 Facts About Karen Andrews
1. 2.
Karen Andrews is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland and has represented the Queensland seat of McPherson since the 2010 federal election.
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On 18 April 2023, Karen Andrews announced that she would retire at the 2025 Australian federal election.
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Karen Andrews is the daughter of William and Moya Weir; her father served in World War II and was later national secretary and treasurer of an organisation for disabled veterans.
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Karen Andrews subsequently completed the degree of Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at the Queensland Institute of Technology, as one of the engineering faculty's first two female graduates.
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Karen Andrews later moved to Victoria to work in the oil industry as a supervisor, during which time she completed a graduate diploma in industrial relations at Victoria University.
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Karen Andrews then worked for an employers' association as an industrial advocate within the metal, engineering and construction industries, representing the interests of employers in negotiations with employees.
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Karen Andrews later established an industrial relations consultancy business, focusing on alternative dispute resolution and mediation.
9.
In October 2009, Karen Andrews won a Liberal National Party of Queensland ballot for preselection in the federal seat of McPherson, following the retirement of the incumbent MP Margaret May She defeated three candidates, including Peter Dutton, the incumbent MP for Dickson, who sought to transfer seats after an unfavourable redistribution.
10.
Karen Andrews retained the seat for the LNP at the 2010 federal election.
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Karen Andrews was a founding co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Science in 2012, along with Richard Marles.
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Karen Andrews served as chair of the joint statutory committee on public works from 2013 to 2015 and was appointed to the speaker's panel in 2014.
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In February 2014, Karen Andrews was reportedly involved in a "heated" verbal altercation with state government minister Jann Stuckey in front of students at a primary school in Elanora, Queensland, after Stucky "objected to a staffer from Ms Karen Andrews' office taking a photograph of her".
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Karen Andrews responded that the high turnover was normal for a parliamentary office.
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In December 2014, Karen Andrews was promoted to parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Industry and Science in the Abbott Ministry.
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Karen Andrews's title was changed to Assistant Minister for Science in September 2015, when Malcolm Turnbull replaced Abbott as prime minister.
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Karen Andrews voted against holding a second ballot, but subsequently voted for Scott Morrison against Dutton.
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Karen Andrews was then promoted to Minister for Industry, Science and Technology in the newly formed Morrison government.
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Karen Andrews is currently factionally unaligned, after previously identifying as a member of the Centre Right faction of the Liberal Party during the Morrison government.
20.
In January 2020, Karen Andrews stated that it was time to move on from ideological battles over climate change, saying that it had robbed Australia of the time and energy needed to respond to the change.
21.
In 2023, Karen Andrews stated that she was disappointed that only one of the potential Liberal Candidates for the by-election in the seat of Fadden was female.
22.
Karen Andrews had previously gone on record criticizing the Liberal party for its underrepresentation of women.