Andrea Gail West (née Kaus; 16 September 1952 – 20 April 2010) was an Australian politician. She was a member of the Liberal Party and served a single term in the House of Representatives, representing the Queensland seat of Bowman from 1996 to 1998.

Andrea West
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Bowman
In office
2 March 1996 – 3 October 1998
Preceded byCon Sciacca
Succeeded byCon Sciacca
Personal details
Born
Andrea Gail Kaus

(1952-09-16)16 September 1952
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Died20 April 2010(2010-04-20) (aged 57)
East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political partyLiberal Party of Australia
SpouseJeremy West
RelationsBill Kaus (father)
Alma materUniversity of Queensland
OccupationSchoolteacher

Early life

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West was born in Brisbane on 16 September 1952.[1] She was the daughter of Bill Kaus, who was elected to the Parliament of Queensland as a Liberal in 1966.[2] She held the degree of Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland and a diploma from the Mount Gravatt Teachers' College. Prior to entering parliament she worked as a primary school teacher.[3] Afterwards she became a teacher at Qatar International School.[citation needed]

Politics

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West served as chairman of the Liberal Party's ClevelandOrmiston branch.[3] She was elected to the Division of Bowman in the Coalition's landslide victory at the 1996 federal election, defeating the incumbent Australian Labor Party (ALP) member Con Sciacca.[4]

In parliament, West served on the Joint Statutory Committee on the National Crime Authority and the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs.[3] She spoke of the need to "safeguard the sanctity of the family" and supported reforms to child support and Australian family law.[5] According to George Brandis, she supported the Howard government's introduction of goods and services tax (GST) despite the impact it was likely to have on her re-election campaign in a marginal seat.[2] Con Sciacca reclaimed Bowman for the ALP at the 1998 federal election.[4]

After her defeat, West remained active in the Liberal Party.[4] In 2000 she unsuccessfully sought preselection for a casual vacancy in the Senate caused by the resignation of Warwick Parer.[2]

Personal life

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West lived at Wellington Point with her husband Jeremy and had three children.[4] She died of breast cancer on 20 April 2010, aged 57, at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne.[6][failed verification]

References

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  1. ^ "West, Andrea Gail (1952 - )". The Australian Women's Register. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Brandis, George (11 May 2010). "Condolences: Mrs Andrea Gail West". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Biography for WEST, Andrea Gail". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Laming, Andrew (21 June 2010). "Constituency statements: Mrs Andrea West". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Andrea West". Women in Federal Parliament. Senate. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  6. ^ Former MP remembered Archived 1 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, aph.gov.au; accessed 21 June 2017.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member for Bowman
1996–1998
Succeeded by