Senate hopeful targets regions
EDWINA Andrew is not a career politician.
In fact, it is her goal as a Senate candidate for Labor to hold those people to account for the people of Queensland.
Ms Andrew, who grew up in Townsville, has spent most of her working life in the child and family sector, which she credits as a key factor in her decision to run for the Senate.
“I have always worked in the child and family sector, always working to support children and families in areas of disadvantage, particularly in regional Queensland,” she said.
“Much of my career has been in regional Queensland and I have seen so much go on, so much disadvantage, so much important decision-making that goes on that affects people in the region.”
Ms Andrew said she hoped to create change for the regions, but knew it would be a difficult task.
Ms Andrew is third on
Labor’s Queensland Senate ticket, which means a Kevin ’07 landslide would be required to secure her the spot.
But despite that, Ms Andrew is determined to make noise about the needs of the people and be a voice for regional Queensland.
Having lived in Richmond, Gladstone, Rockhampton and Townsville, Ms Andrew says she has had a lot of experience in the issues regional Queensland faces.
She said people in regional
Queensland were lacking the “basics of life”.
“We’re talking about access to health care, access to education, access to housing and access to secure work,” Ms Andrew said.
“We’re seeing the rental squeeze now, even in Townsville, and in fact in Townsville I think it is exacerbated because people are coming from big cities and they come into Townsville as a large regional centre.
“But they’re also going Outback – to smaller towns like Charleville, Mount Isa – it’s horrific at the moment, you see things like little one-bedroom dongas with plastic showers going for $400 a week. It’s just not affordable.
“Then there is a line-up of people applying for it, and Townsville is just the same.”
Ms Andrew said there were things, like affordable housing, that everyone had a right to access.
While she thought about running for state government and the lower house federally, Ms Andrew said it was where policy came to “live or die” that really had her interest.
“That (the Senate) is where the government’s held to account, that’s where decisionmaking happens,” she said. “That is where I wanted to have that impact.”
Ms Andrew is a mother and grandmother, which she says has helped drive her to want to represent the views of the community.
With children and family members who work in health, transport, as first responders and more, she says she knows there is work to be done for the community.
“If I’m saying I want to be elected to the Senate, I’m also representing the viewpoint of the community, so I’m not taking my own views, I’m taking other people’s views,” she said. “I know what is important for people in everyday life and the support work that I’ve done … but I need to hear from people what’s important for them.”
Ms Andrew is the partner of Townsville Bulletin journalist Leighton Smith.