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McKew was reported to have been a possible Labor candidate for the safe federal seat of Fowler at both the
Official Website
* ttp://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/24/2100298.htm Bennelong on a knife edge: McKew {{DEFAULTSORT:McKew, Maxine 1953 births 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians ABC News (Australia) presenters Australian columnists Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Australian Roman Catholics Australian television journalists Living people Logie Award winners Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Bennelong People from Brisbane University of Melbourne faculty Walkley Award winners Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Australian women television journalists Australian women columnists Australian political journalists People educated at All Hallows' School
Maxine Margaret McKew (born 22 July 1953) is a former Australian
office. A letter requesting a job—written by McKew on BBC letterhead paper—was rewarded with a cadetship at the 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 la ...
politician and journalist; she was the Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in the First Rudd Ministry and the First Gillard Ministry.
Between 2007 and 2010, she was the member of the House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
for the Division of Bennelong
The Division of Bennelong is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named after Woollarawarre Bennelong, an Aboriginal man befriended by the first Governor of New South Wal ...
, New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. Until 2007, the seat was held by the then Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
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 ...
, who had been the member for 33 years. She was only the second person to unseat a sitting Australian prime minister since Jack Holloway
Edward James "Jack" Holloway (12 April 1875 – 3 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1929 to 1951, representing the Labor Party. He served as a government minister under James Scullin, ...
defeated Stanley Bruce
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, (15 April 1883 – 25 August 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Australia from 1923 to 1929, as leader of the Nationalist Party.
Born ...
in 1929; and the third person to unseat the leader of a major party, after Neville Newell defeated Charles Blunt
Charles William Blunt (born 19 January 1951) is a former Australian politician who served as leader of the National Party of Australia from 1989 to 1990.
Early life
Blunt was born in Sydney and graduated from the University of Sydney with a de ...
, leader of the National Party, in 1990. At the 2010 Federal election she lost her seat to 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 ...
candidate, John Alexander.
Before entering politics, McKew was an award-winning broadcast journalist. She hosted a number of programs on Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
(ABC) television and radio, most recently ''Lateline
''Lateline'' was an Australian television news program which ran from 1990 until 2017. The program initially aired weeknights on ABC TV. In later years it was also broadcast internationally throughout Asia and the Pacific on the Australia Plu ...
'' and '' The 7.30 Report''.
Personal
McKew was born and grew up inBrisbane
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 ...
, 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_ ...
where her father, Bryan McKew, was a boilermaker. When McKew was five, her mother Elaine died, and McKew was sent to live with her grandparents for three years. McKew and her sister Margo moved to Moorooka
Moorooka is a southern Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Moorooka had a population of 10,368 people.
Geography
Moorooka is by road south of Brisbane's central business district. ...
to live with their father after he remarried; later attending All Hallows' School
, motto_translation = God and Duty
, city = Brisbane
, state = Queensland
, postcode = 4000
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, type ...
in Brisbane.
McKew currently lives 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 Epping Epping may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Epping railway station, Sydney
* Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
* Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...
with her partner, former ALP National Secretary Bob Hogg
Robert (Bob) Duncan Hogg AO is an Australian Labor Party (ALP) identity, and former ALP National Secretary.
Career
* 1976–78: Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the ALP.
* 1983–86: Senior adviser to then Australian Prime Minister, Bob H ...
. McKew is Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
and Hogg is divorced; consequently, they have chosen not to marry.
McKew had previously indicated active plans to move into the electorate of Bennelong, before doing so in March 2007.
On 3 March 2007, allegations of death threats against McKew were widely reported. There has been speculation that attempts to tamper with her car were by car thieves looking for spare parts rather than by politically motivated individuals.
Media career
After graduating from high school, she briefly attended university before dropping out and living inLondon
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
for two years. She supported herself with a variety of temporary jobs, including relief typing at a London BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
(ABC) in Brisbane in 1974 following a brief stint as a news analyst at the investment bank Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...
. In 1976 she moved on to host ''This Day Tonight
''This Day Tonight'' (TDT) was an Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) evening current affairs program from 1967 to 1978.
Founding
When ''TDT'' premiered in 1967 it was the first regular nightly current affairs program on Australian TV, an ...
'', a local current affairs program.
McKew appeared as herself in the eighth episode of the first series, and in the sixth episode of the second series of the Australia television series '' The Games''.
In over 30 years working at the ABC, McKew worked as a presenter on the '' 7:30 Report'' and ''Lateline
''Lateline'' was an Australian television news program which ran from 1990 until 2017. The program initially aired weeknights on ABC TV. In later years it was also broadcast internationally throughout Asia and the Pacific on the Australia Plu ...
'', and also worked on '' The Carleton-Walsh Report'', '' AM'', '' PM'', and ''The Bottom Line''. McKew was honoured for her broadcasting work with a Logie award, and for her journalism by a Walkley Award
The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...
. In October 2006 she announced that she was leaving the ABC saying "This is more than likely the end of my broadcasting career".
From 1999 to 2004 she wrote ''Lunch with Maxine McKew'', a column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...
for '' The Bulletin'', a weekly magazine, based on her interviews with prominent Australians. McKew frequently elicited newsworthy revelations from her subjects, and was named by ''The Australian Financial Review
''The Australian Financial Review'' (abbreviated to the ''AFR'') is an Australian business-focused, compact daily newspaper covering the current business and economic affairs of Australia and the world. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New Sou ...
'' as "one of the top ten exercisers of covert power in Australia".
Following her election as the member for Bennelong in 2007, the ''Canberra Times
''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times.
History
''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...
'' had a photo of McKew in a ''Basic Instinct
''Basic Instinct'' is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. The film follows San Francisco police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wea ...
'' moment, referring to the scene where Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...
was allegedly not wearing underwear.
Honours
* 1998Walkley Award for Broadcast Interviewing
The Walkley Award for Broadcast Interviewing was first presented in 1997, as one of the Walkley Awards. At some point it became the Walkley Award for Broadcast Presenting, until 2001. In 2009 the award category became Walkley Award for Broadcast ...
for her work on ''Lateline''
* 1999 Logie Award
The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...
for Most Outstanding News-Public Affairs Broadcaster
* Named as "Columnist of the Year" by the Magazine Publishers Association in 2003.
Politics
McKew was reported to have been a possible Labor candidate for the safe federal seat of Fowler at both the 2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
and 2004 elections. In 2004, it was the Labor leader Mark Latham
Mark William Latham (born 28 February 1961) is an Australian politician and media commentator, currently serving as a member in the New South Wales Legislative Council. He previously served as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and ...
who attempted to lure McKew with preselection
Preselection is the process by which a candidate is selected, usually by a political party, to contest an election for political office. It is also referred to as candidate selection. It is a fundamental function of political parties. The presele ...
to the western Sydney
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
* Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that i ...
seat. Latham recorded in his diary that his efforts failed because the broadcaster would not move from her home in Mosman
Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governm ...
to Labor's outer-suburban heartland, an area which he represented as the Member for Werriwa
The Division of Werriwa is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The name Werriwa derives from a local Aboriginal name for Lake George, which was located in the division when it was established in 1900. The division ...
, while McKew told ABC Radio that a big factor in her 2003 decision was that she regarded the party as being without direction at the time. McKew had also been approached by John Hewson
John Robert Hewson AM (born 28 October 1946) is an Australian former politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party from 1990 to 1994. He led the Liberal-National Coalition to defeat at the 1993 Australian federal election.
Hewson was ...
in the past to join 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 ...
.
After resigning from the ABC in December 2006, McKew joined the Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
in January 2007 as a special adviser on strategy to Labor leader Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957) is an Australian former politician and diplomat who served as the 26th prime minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010 and again from June 2013 to September 2013, holding office as the leader of the ...
. ''The Australian'' reported in early February that McKew was again in contention to gain preselection for the Division of Fowler, a safe Labor seat held by Julia Irwin
Julia Claire Irwin (; born 8 November 1951) is a former Australian politician. She represented the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives from 1998 to 2010, holding the New South Wales s ...
who had supported Kim Beazley
Kim Christian Beazley (born 14 December 1948) is an Australian former politician and diplomat. He was leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 1996 to 2001 and 2005 to 2006, having previously been a cabinet ...
in the December leadership ballot. However the article also stated that a Labor source had suggested that a different seat was possible.
Contest for the seat of Bennelong
On 25 February Rudd's office confirmed that McKew would run againstPrime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
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 ...
in the Division of Bennelong
The Division of Bennelong is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named after Woollarawarre Bennelong, an Aboriginal man befriended by the first Governor of New South Wal ...
at the election,
and McKew announced that she and Hogg were selling their Mosman home. The seat had once been a Liberal stronghold (it had been in Liberal hands since its creation in 1949), but it had shifted increasingly to Labor in recent years. Howard had held the seat since 1974, but in two out of the three elections he had fought since becoming prime minister, he'd needed to go to preferences to win another term in his own seat.
McKew outlined her position on issues such as the environment, education and women in ''The Bulletin'' in mid-2007.
Following a redistribution in 2006, the already marginal Liberal seat had become slightly more so, with Labor needing a swing of 4 percent to win it. This placed Bennelong just barely on the edge of seats that would likely fall to Labor in the event it won government. However, much of the area was already represented by Labor at the state level. A previous week's Morgan poll conducted for the website 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 ...
put Labor's two-party preferred vote in the seat at 55%. The state of play in the battle for the electorate, as it was on 12 October 2007, had leaked polls showing McKew with an edge over the incumbent.
On 24 November 2007, it was obvious when the first returns came in that the contest would be very tight. The ABC and several other sources projected Bennelong as a Labor gain, and Howard himself said in conceding the election to Rudd that it was "very likely" he had been unseated. However, McKew hesitated to claim victory, saying that the seat was on a "knife edge." In a press conference held on 26 November, McKew declared Bennelong "a Labor seat for the first time", but stopped short of formally claiming victory. Earlier Antony Green
Antony John Green (born 2 March 1960) is an Australian psephologist and commentator. He is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's chief election analyst.
Early years and background
Born in Warrington, Lancashire, in northern England, Gre ...
said there was "no doubt" McKew had won.
On 1 December 2007, while counting was still under way, McKew formally claimed victory in Bennelong, saying that she was "comfortably ahead" on the two-party vote. In her victory speech, McKew thanked Howard for his 30 years of service and could understand why he hadn't formally conceded, saying that "Mr. Howard and his family clearly had a huge amount to do this week." She said that her polling numbers indicated a uniform swing to Labor, with many people who had never voted Labor before crossing over to her. However, she said that many voters felt neglected by him in recent years. By most estimates Howard would have needed an improbable majority of the outstanding mail-in and absentee ballots to retain his seat.
It was not until 12 December that Howard formally conceded defeat, with the Electoral Commission formally declaring McKew the winner by 44,685 votes (51.4 percent) to Howard's 42,251 (48.6 percent). The final tally indicated that McKew had won victory on the 14th count due to a large flow of Green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...
preferences to her; 3,793 (78.84 percent) of Green voters listed McKew as their second preference. This was enough for her to defeat Howard by 2.8 percentage points on the two-party vote.
Appointment as a Parliamentary Secretary
A few days earlier, on 29 November, Rudd announced that McKew would be one of his Parliamentary Secretaries when his ministry was sworn in on 3 December. In this role she had responsibility for early childhood education and child care. Less than a week after the official declaration of her victory, McKew launched a book and described the Howard era of government as one characterised by "brutish" politics. Maxine McKew delivered her first speech in the House of Representatives on 14 February 2008. On 6 June 2009, in a ministerial reshuffle brought on as a result of the resignations of the Defence Minister,Joel Fitzgibbon
Joel Andrew Fitzgibbon (born 16 January 1962) is a retired Australian politician. He is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and has served in the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2022, representing the New South Wales seat of Hunt ...
, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Senator Jan McLucas
Jan Elizabeth McLucas (born 27 March 1958) is a former Australian politician. McLucas was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Senate representing Queensland from 1999 to 2016. McLucas was the Minister for Human Services in the Ru ...
, Maxine McKew became Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
Electoral defeat
McKew was defeated at the 2010 federal election, losing the seat of Bennelong to John Alexander, her opponent from theLiberal 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 ...
. She suffered a swing against her of more than 5 per cent, remarking as she conceded defeat that Labor's national campaign 'left a lot to be desired'.
Post-political career
McKew works for Social Ventures Australia, advising on education issues, and is a Vice Chancellor's Fellow at theUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
.
In 2012, she wrote a political memoir entitled '' Tales from the Political Trenches''. McKew's account of her life in politics is highly critical of the leadership decisions and internal culture of the Federal ALP.
Other interests
McKew is a long-term participant in the Australian-American Leadership Dialogue, a bipartisan bilateral civil diplomatic initiative founded byMelbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
businessman Phil Scanlan. She also serves as a Distinguished Fellow of the Australia India Institute.
Her other activities include membership of the Women's Advisory Group to the National Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
Centre, and membership of the University of Sydney
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 si ...
's Research Institute for Asia Pacific. She is a member of the Sydney Symphony Council, and was the Patron of Osteoporosis Australia.
References
Further reading
*External links
Official Website
* ttp://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/24/2100298.htm Bennelong on a knife edge: McKew {{DEFAULTSORT:McKew, Maxine 1953 births 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians ABC News (Australia) presenters Australian columnists Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Australian Roman Catholics Australian television journalists Living people Logie Award winners Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Bennelong People from Brisbane University of Melbourne faculty Walkley Award winners Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Australian women television journalists Australian women columnists Australian political journalists People educated at All Hallows' School