Andrea Gail West (; 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.

Early life

West was born in Brisbane on 16 September 1952. She was the daughter of

Bill Kaus William Bernard Kaus (24 May 1923 – 20 December 2006) was a businessman and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Biography Kaus was born at Kangaroo Point, Queensland, to parents William Rahman Kaus and his wife Doreen May (née ...

, who was elected to the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral s ...

as a Liberal in 1966. 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. Afterwards she became a teacher at Qatar International School.

Politics

West served as chairman of the Liberal Party's Cleveland– Ormiston branch. She was elected to the Division of Bowman in the

Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

's landslide victory at the 1996 federal election, defeating the incumbent Australian Labor Party (ALP) member Con Sciacca. 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. She spoke of the need to "safeguard the sanctity of the family" and supported reforms to child support and

Australian family law Australian family law is principally found in the federal ''Family Law Act 1975'' and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Family Law) Rules 2021 as well as in other laws and the common law and laws of equity, which affect the family ...

. 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. Con Sciacca reclaimed Bowman for the ALP at the 1998 federal election. After her defeat, West remained active in the Liberal Party. In 2000 she unsuccessfully sought preselection for a casual vacancy in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

caused by the resignation of Warwick Parer.

Personal life

West lived at Wellington Point with her husband Jeremy and had three children. She died of breast cancer on 20 April 2010, aged 57, at the

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, also known as the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute and commonly abbreviated as Peter Mac, is an Australian oncology research institute, cancer treatment and professional oncologist training centre located in M ...

in Melbourne.Former MP remembered
, aph.gov.au; accessed 21 June 2017.

References

1952 births 2010 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Bowman Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Deaths from cancer in Victoria (Australia) Deaths from breast cancer 20th-century Australian politicians University of Queensland alumni Australian schoolteachers 20th-century Australian women politicians {{Australia-Liberal-politician-stub