Andrew Southcott

Dr Andrew Southcott
MP
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Boothby
Assumed office
2 December 1996
Preceded by Steele Hall
Personal details
Born (1967-10-15) 15 October 1967
Panorama
Political party Liberal Party of Australia
Alma mater Flinders University
University of Adelaide
Occupation Medical practitioner
Religion Anglican
Website AndrewSouthcott.com.au

Andrew John Southcott (born 15 October 1967) is an Australian politician and medical practitioner. He has been the Liberal Party member for the House of Representatives seat of Boothby in South Australia since the 1996 election. Southcott will not re-contest Boothby at the next Australian federal election.

Early life

Southcott was born in Panorama, South Australia, and attended Paringa Park Primary School, and St Peter's College.

He studied medicine at University of Adelaide and was a medical practitioner before entering politics, serving as an intern and surgical trainee at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and as a surgical registrar at the Flinders Medical Centre and Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park. While in office he has completed a Bachelor of Economics at Flinders University and a Masters of Business Administration at the University of Adelaide.[1]

He joined the Liberal Party in 1989 while serving as president of the Adelaide Medical Students Society. He is regarded as being from the conservative end of the South Australia Liberal Party, and defeated Liberal Senate leader and future Defence Minister Robert Hill, a moderate, in a preselection battle for the seat in 1994.

Political career

Southcott was elected to the House of Representatives seat of Boothby in 1996 and was re-elected six times but remained a backbencher throughout:

Election: 1996 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013
First preference: 53.4%48.2%47.9%50.6%46.3%44.8%51.1%
Two-party vote: 61.6%57.5%57.4%55.4%52.9%50.8%57.7%

Southcott was chair of the Federal Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Treaties from 2003 until 2007[2]

Following the Coalition's defeat at the 2007 federal election, he was appointed to the Shadow Ministry as Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, and Apprenticeships and Training. On 22 September 2008,[3] Southcott gained the additional responsibility of Shadow Minister for Sport.

In a re-shuffle of the shadow ministry following the appointment of Tony Abbott, as leader of the opposition in December 2009, Southcott was demoted to Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health Services, Health and Wellbeing.[4]

After the 2010 election he was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare.[5] After the 2013 election he was not included in the Abbott ministry and returned to the backbench. Southcott is a supporter of Australia becoming a Republic.[6]

Despite being a conservative Southcott has voted for legalising abortion drug RU486 and legalising stem cell research.[7][8]

Southcott unsuccessfully ran for the open position of Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives in August 2015.[9][10]

Parliamentary resignation

On 4 September 2015, Southcott announced his parliamentary retirement as of the next Australian federal election, and would resume his medical career.[11] Southcott said his decision not to re-contest Boothby was "completely unrelated" to being unsuccessful in running for the Speakership.[12] The Liberal Party preselected doctoral student and newspaper columnist Nicolle Flint as their candidate in Boothby at the next Australian federal election.[13]

References

External links

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
Steele Hall		 Member for Boothby
1996–present 		Incumbent
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