Kevin Andrews (politician)

The Honourable Kevin Andrews
Andrews in 2015
Minister for Defence
In office 23 December 2014 – 21 September 2015
Prime Minister	Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull
Preceded by	David Johnston
Succeeded by	Marise Payne
Minister for Social Services
In office 18 September 2013 – 23 December 2014
Prime Minister	Tony Abbott
Preceded by	Jenny Macklin
Succeeded by	Scott Morrison
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
In office 30 January 2007 – 3 December 2007
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	Amanda Vanstone
Succeeded by	Chris Evans
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
In office 7 October 2003 – 30 January 2007
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	Tony Abbott
Succeeded by	Joe Hockey
Minister for Ageing
In office 26 November 2001 – 7 October 2003
Prime Minister	John Howard
Preceded by	Bronwyn Bishop
Succeeded by	Julie Bishop
Member of the Australian Parliament for Menzies
In office 11 May 1991 – 11 April 2022
Preceded by	Neil Brown
Succeeded by	Keith Wolahan
Personal details
Born	Kevin James Andrews (1955-11-09)9 November 1955 Sale, Victoria, Australia
Died	14 December 2024(2024-12-14) (aged 69)
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Margaret Ryan
Children	5
Alma mater	University of Melbourne Monash University
Website	Official website

Kevin James Andrews (9 November 1955 – 14 December 2024) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served as a cabinet minister in the Howard and Abbott governments. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1991 to 2022, representing the Victorian seat of Menzies.

Andrews was raised in Sale, Victoria. He studied arts and law at the University of Melbourne and worked as a barrister prior to entering politics, specialising in health law and bioethics. He was elected to parliament at the 1991 Menzies by-election and became known for his social conservatism. He was responsible for the private member's bill which became the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997, outlawing euthanasia in federal territories. Andrews became a senior figure in the Howard government, serving as Minister for Ageing (2001–2003), Employment and Workplace Relations (2003–2007), and Immigration and Citizenship (2007). He was appointed to cabinet in 2003 and as employment minister was responsible for the government's controversial WorkChoices reforms to industrial relations.

After the Coalition's defeat at the 2007 federal election, Andrews remained a senior figure in the Liberal Party's conservative faction. He played a key role in the 2009 Liberal leadership spill which saw Tony Abbott replace Malcolm Turnbull as party leader. He returned to cabinet under Abbott after Coalition returned to power at the 2013 election, serving as Minister for Social Services (2013–2014) and Defence (2014–2015). He was removed from cabinet after the 2015 leadership spill which saw Turnbull return as leader and replace Abbott as prime minister. He remained in parliament as a backbencher until his retirement at the 2022 election, having earlier been defeated for Liberal preselection by Keith Wolahan.