Andrea Mason (born 1968) is a former Australian political candidate. At the 2004 federal election, she led the

Family First Party The Family First Party was a conservative political party in Australia which existed from 2002 to 2017. It was founded in South Australia where it enjoyed its greatest electoral support. Since the demise of the Australian Conservatives into wh ...

, standing unsuccessfully as its lead Senate candidate in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. She gained notability as the first Aboriginal woman to lead an Australian political party to a federal election. Mason was the Coordinator, now known as the Chief Executive Officer, of the

Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Women's Council The Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Women's Council (NPY Women's Council, NPYWC) is a community-based community organisation formed in 1980 delivering services to the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara women in t ...

(NPYWC) from March 2015 to April 2019.

Background and career

Mason is the daughter of Ben Mason, an Aboriginal Christian

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

involved in the founding of the

Aboriginal Evangelical Fellowship The Aboriginal Evangelical Fellowship of Australia (AEF) is an Indigenous Australian Christian organisation that was formed in January 1970, in Port Augusta, South Australia. There are a number of churches, in New South Wales and Western Austral ...

, she was born in Subiaco,

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. She grew up in

before her family moved to

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in 1979. After completing her secondary education she was awarded a

Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

Scholarship at the Australian Institute of Sport and moved to Canberra for two years. On her return to

, Mason studied for a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in Aboriginal Affairs and Public Administration. She graduated in 1988, and from 1989 onwards she worked on housing and employment programs with the

n Public Service. In 1999, Mason commenced a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

Degree at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

. Graduating in 2002, she began working for Andrew Evans, a member of the

South Australian Legislative Council The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the South Australian House of Assembly, ...

and leader of the South Australian branch of the Family First Party, as a personal assistant. On 8 August 2004, Mason became the first-ever

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

woman to lead an

Australian political party The politics of Australia has a mild two-party system, with two dominant political groupings in the Australian political system, the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal/National Coalition. Federally, 16 of the 151 members of the lower house ( ...

, when the Family First Party chose her as its national leader. She unsuccessfully contested the

2004 Australian federal election The 2004 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 9 October 2004. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 seats in the 76-member Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minist ...

as the party's South Australian lead Australian Senate candidate. In 2019 Mason was appointed to serve as a commissioner to the

Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is a royal commission established on 4 April 2019 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902. The Honourable Ronald Sackv ...

Awards

* 2016 Telstra Australian Businesswoman of the YearStephanie Zillman, (17 November 2016), NT Indigenous leader Andrea Mason named Australian Businesswoman of the Year, ABC
Retrieved 17 November 2016

References

External links

2006 bio previously posted on the Family First Party Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Andrea Family First Party politicians 1968 births Living people Indigenous Australian politicians Indigenous Australians from Western Australia Politicians from Perth, Western Australia University of Adelaide alumni Australian Institute of Sport netball players Leaders of political parties in Australia Australian netball players Netball players from Western Australia Indigenous Australian netball players