Amanda Stoker
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Amanda Jane Stoker ( Fell; born 30 October 1982) is an Australian politician who became a
Senator 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 ...
for
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
in 2018 until 2022. She is a member of the
Liberal National Party of Queensland The Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) is a major political party in Queensland, Australia. It was formed in 2008 by a merger of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal Party and the National Party. At a federal level and in most other ...
(LNP) and sits with the
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
in federal parliament. She was appointed to the Senate after the retirement of
George Brandis George Henry Brandis (born 22 June 1957) is a former Australian politician. He was a Senator for Queensland from 2000 to 2018, representing the Liberal Party, and was a cabinet minister in the Abbott and Turnbull governments. He was later Hi ...
. Stoker held the ministerial portfolios of Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General, Assistant Minister for Industrial Relations and Assistant Minister for Women in the
Morrison government The Morrison government was the federal executive government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Liberal Party of Australia, between 2018 and 2022. The Morrison government commenced on 24 August 2018, when it was sworn ...
. Stoker was unsuccessful in her re-election bid in the 2022 federal election and departed 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 ...
on 30 June 2022.


Early life and education

Stoker was born in the
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
suburb of Liverpool to working-class parents, Mark and Cornelia Ingrid Fell. Her father was born in Australia and her mother in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. She grew up in Campbelltown, an outer-southern suburb of Sydney. In her first speech in the Senate she explained: "My dad is a plumber, drainer, gas fitter. He had his own small business. My mum worked in a shop as a retail assistant." She completed her HSC at
Hurlstone Agricultural High School , motto_translation = For my country , location = Glenfield, Sydney, Macarthur region, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Australia Sydney , pushpin_image = ...
before studying arts and law at
Sydney University The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's six ...
, graduating with first-class honours.


Legal career

Stoker began her career as a clerk and solicitor in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
with
Minter Ellison MinterEllison is a multinational law firm, and professional services firm, based in Australia. The firm has fifteen offices and operates in five countries. By number of lawyers it is the largest law firm in Australia. History MinterEllison is ...
in 2006. She went on to serve as a Commonwealth
prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...
, as well as a
judge's associate A judge's associate is an individual who provides assistance to a judge or court. In Australia, a judge's associate (not to be confused with a tipstaff) is a recent law graduate or lawyer who performs various duties to assist a specific judge, ...
to
Philip McMurdo Philip D. McMurdo (born 19 May 1954) is an Australian judge. He has been a judge of the Queensland Court of Appeal since 2015; he was previously a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland from 2003 to 2015. He was born in Brisbane, and studied ...
in the
Supreme Court of Queensland The Supreme Court of Queensland is the highest court in the Australian State of Queensland. It was formerly the Brisbane Supreme Court, in the colony of Queensland. The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court allows its trial division to he ...
, and to Ian Callinan in the
High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises Original jurisdiction, original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Constitution of Australia, Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established fol ...
. Prior to her appointment to the Senate, Stoker was a member of Level Twenty-Seven
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and a sessional academic at
Central Queensland University Central Queensland University (alternatively known as CQUniversity) is an Australian public university based in central Queensland. CQUniversity is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. Its main campus ...
. She was vice-president of the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland from 2016 to 2018. During her legal career, Stoker had a particular interest in administrative law and statutory interpretation. From 2014 to 2018, Stoker was a director at the non-profit, Brisbane-based conservative
think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
, the Australian Institute for Progress (AIP). During her time there, the AIP was a critic of anti-
mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...
advocacy groups holding
charitable status A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...
, and hosted a visit to Brisbane by climate science denier
Patrick Moore Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore was president of the Brit ...
. Also during Stoker's time, the AIP opposed tobacco
plain packaging In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands. ...
and criticised the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
's proposed international convention on tobacco.


Political career

In 2010, Stoker was the treasurer of the Young LNP. She was concurrently a member of the Liberal National Party Policy Standing Committee and chair of the Media and Communications Policy Committee from 2009 to 2016. Stoker unsuccessfully sought LNP pre-selection for the
electoral district of Cleveland An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
at the
2009 Queensland state election The 2009 Queensland state election was held on 21 March 2009 to elect all 89 members of the Legislative Assembly, a unicameral parliament. The election saw the incumbent Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh defeat the Liberal National ...
, and was an unsuccessful LNP Senate candidate at the 2013 federal election. She was a member of the party's state executive from 2014 to 2017. On 10 March 2018, the Queensland LNP chose Stoker from a field of 12 candidates to succeed high-profile
cabinet member This is a list of the offices of heads of state, heads of government, cabinet, and legislature, of sovereign states. Date of Origin refers to most recent fundamental change in form of government, for example independence, change from absolute ...
George Brandis as a senator for Queensland. Endorsed by the LNP State Executive Council, she did not face a vote by rank-and-file members. ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' reported that LNP members were threatening to push for gender quotas if the party did not preselect a woman, and the ''
Daily Mercury The ''Daily Mercury'' is an online newspaper which serves the Mackay region in Queensland, Australia. Print edition was later revived with a publication on Friday only. The newspaper is printed by Mackay Printing and Publishing and is owne ...
'' reported that LNP sources had said Stoker was one of the standouts, because she was based in Brisbane and would also increase the LNP's percentage of females. The LNP president denied gender was a motive, saying Stoker was chosen on merit. Stoker was appointed to the casual vacancy left by Brandis on 21 March 2018 and she was sworn in as a senator the following day. Prior to Stoker's appointment to the senate, all federal LNP senators were men. On 22 December 2020, Stoker was appointed as the Assistant Minister to the
Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
. On 30 March 2021, she was appointed to additional positions of Assistant Minister for Women and Assistant Minister for Industrial Relations. In reference to her elevation Prime Minister Morrison said: "she's one of the most bright and intelligent people to come into this Parliament and I was thrilled to be able to bring her into the Executive so early in her Parliamentary career". Grace Tame, named 2021
Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...
for her advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, criticised Morrison's appointment of Stoker to Assistant Minister for Women saying he had exhibited either very poor judgment, or cultural calculation in elevating a conservative who had "aimed at falsifying all counts of sexual abuse on campuses across the nation". Stoker said Tame's comments were "passionate but not informed", adding the comments did not correspond with Stoker's long history of work in the area of women's safety. In May 2021, a squabble broke out between Stoker and the LNP Queensland state council when she was relegated to the third-spot on the Senate voting ticket for the 2022 federal election. This ballot position ended up costing Stoker her seat, as
The Greens The Greens or Greens may refer to: Current political parties * Australian Greens, also known as ''The Greens'' * Greens of Andorra * Greens of Bosnia and Herzegovina * Greens of Burkina * Greens (Greece) * Greens of Montenegro *Greens of Serbia *G ...
won a Queensland Senate seat at the expense of the LNP.


Political positions

Stoker is a member of the National Right faction of the Liberal Party. In 2020, ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' named Stoker a "
free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been ...
champion and rising star of
conservative politics Conservatism is a Philosophy of culture, cultural, Social philosophy, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in r ...
". She is part of the Liberal Party's conservative
faction Faction or factionalism may refer to: Politics * Political faction, a group of people with a common political purpose * Free and Independent Faction, a Romanian political party * Faction (''Planescape''), a political faction in the game ''Planes ...
and is aligned with the LNP's
Christian right The Christian right, or the religious right, are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with t ...
. Stoker is a self-described "proud conservative"
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
who believes Christian values are "under attack". Her political heroes are former prime minister
John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...
and former UK leader
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
. In 2019, ''
Crikey Crikey is an Australian electronic magazine comprising a website and email newsletter available to subscribers. Crikey was described by the former Federal Opposition Leader Mark Latham as the "most popular website in Parliament House" in ''The ...
'' reported that she is a social and fiscal conservative who had positioned herself as a champion of free speech and religious freedom. She claims conservatives are "misunderstood". Stoker has been a speaker at a number of centre-right conservative conferences. '' The Catholic Leader'' wrote that, in her
maiden speech A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament. Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...
, she had made the "brave observation" that "Australians don't trust politicians. In fact, Australians are losing faith across the four sectors of the economy – government, media, corporate and non-government organisations". Stoker has spoken out against abortion and opposes the introduction of
voluntary euthanasia Voluntary euthanasia (VE) is the ending of a person's life at their request in order to relieve them of suffering. Voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have been the focus of intense debate in recent years. Some forms of ...
legislation. Stoker is a proponent for the introduction of a "
religious discrimination Religious discrimination is treating a person or group differently because of the particular beliefs which they hold about a religion. This includes instances when adherents of different religions, denominations or non-religions are treated u ...
bill". Stoker advocates for the repeal of section 18C of the ''Racial Discrimination Act''. In 2018 she said: "I think 18C has got to go. I think 18C is a drag on our society." The
Opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...
responded by saying this would "water down protections against racist hate speech". Stoker blames unions for the casualisation of workplaces, and argues against raising minimum wages and penalty rates because doing so would "reduce job opportunities for those most in need". She has also described unfair dismissal laws as a "block to growth". Stoker supports the development of an
Australian nuclear energy Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...
industry. She opposed the Government ban on the personal import of liquid nicotine used for
vaping An electronic cigarette is an electronic device that simulates tobacco smoking. It consists of an atomizer, a power source such as a battery, and a container such as a cartridge or tank. Instead of smoke, the user inhales vapor. As such ...
.


On sex and gender

Stoker has implied that women with children were "baggage" from an employer's perspective. She has pushed for nannies to be tax-deductible. In July 2021, Stoker was quoted commending changes to the LNP constitution to take a "zero tolerance" approach to sexual misconduct as part of a new complaints and investigation process. She said that it was an "important signal to women that their safety matters to the LNP". In 2020, Stoker faced criticism when she said former Queensland LNP leader
Deb Frecklington Deborah Kay Frecklington (born 3 September 1971) is an Australian politician who is the member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for Nanango, having won the seat at the 2012 state election. She was the Leader of the Queensland Opposit ...
"should not be playing the gender card" by speaking out against bullying from within the party. She has opposed the
transgender rights movement The transgender rights movement is a movement to promote the legal status of transgender people and to eliminate discrimination and violence against transgender people regarding housing, employment, public accommodations, education, and health ...
, and has said that her political opponents prioritise the rights of the
LGBTIQ Intersex people are born with sex characteristics (such as genitals, gonads, and chromosome patterns) that "do not fit the typical definitions for male or female bodies". They are substantially more likely to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual ...
community over the "rights to freedom of conscience, religion and speech". Citing the importance of keeping women's sport for women and the protection of children from dangerous hormone and surgical procedures. Additionally, Stoker told ''The Australian'' that everyone is entitled to support and respect, however inclusion of the trans-identifying adults could not "mean we neglect our duties to children." In 2020, Stoker launched a petition against "dangerous and radical ideas" and "completely unreasonable" demands of the transgender activist agenda. In 2018, Stoker opposed a proposed
bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...
to remove an exemption in the ''
Sex Discrimination Act 1984 The ''Sex Discrimination Act 1984'' is an Act of the Parliament of Australia which prohibits discrimination on the basis of mainly sexism, homophobia, transphobia and biphobia, but also sex, marital or relationship status, actual or potential ...
'' that would allow religious schools to expel students on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. In articulating her opposition to the proposal, she expressed concern that children may want "to run a gay club within the school". She has claimed that sexuality is a "choice".


"Knee on the throat" comments

In 2020, during a televised interview on
Sky News Sky News is a British free-to-air television news channel and organisation. Sky News is distributed via an English-language radio news service, and through online channels. It is owned by Sky Group, a division of Comcast. John Ryley is the hea ...
, Stoker criticised Queensland's decision to close its borders during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, saying that Premier
Annastacia Palaszczuk Annastacia Palaszczuk ( , Polish: Annastacia Pałaszczuk, ; born 25 July 1969) is an Australian politician who has been the 39th premier of Queensland since 2015 and the leader of the Queensland branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) since ...
"knows she is absolutely choking our economy by having these borders shutshe is the knee on the throat of businesses of Queensland, stopping them from breathing". Indigenous
Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
Senator
Malarndirri McCarthy Malarndirri Barbara McCarthy (born 19 April 1970) is an Australian politician and former journalist who has been a Senator for the Northern Territory since 2016. She is an Assistant Minister in the Albanese Government, and previously served i ...
said the comments invoked a reference to the
murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...
. Stoker's spokesman had initially said she would not be backing away from her comments, but in a subsequent speech to parliament, Stoker apologised to anyone genuinely hurt or offended, stating it was an "unfortunate turn of phrase" used to emphasise her hurt for local Queensland businesses harmed by prolonged lockdowns.


"Mandy Jane"

In 2020, Stoker admitted to using the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
"Mandy Jane" to post comments in the third person on her own official
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
site which defended and argued for the senator's views on topics including race, family law and religious freedom. Posts using Stoker's Mandy Jane profile referred to Stoker in the third person and copied the senator's own comments, while changing the pronouns to make it appear that they were from a different person. The Facebook profile photo of Mandy Jane was that of a storybook character. Stoker's spokesman said the Mandy Jane account was the senator's personal profile but denied she should have disclosed that before posting the material on her own page.


Personal life

Stoker lives with her family in Auchenflower, a suburb of Brisbane. She married her husband, Adam, in 2005 and they have three daughters. She is a Christian and attends an
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church in inner-city Brisbane.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoker, Amanda 1982 births Living people Liberal National Party of Queensland members of the Parliament of Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland Women members of the Australian Senate 21st-century Australian politicians Australian barristers University of Sydney alumni Sydney Law School alumni Griffith University alumni Australian people of German descent 21st-century Australian women politicians