Amanda Vanstone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Amanda Vanstone
|
|
|---|---|
.jpeg)
Official portrait, 2007
|
|
| Minister for Education Minister for Employment |
|
| In office 11 March 1996 – 9 October 1997 |
|
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Simon Crean |
| Succeeded by | David Kemp |
| Minister for Justice | |
| In office 9 October 1997 – 30 January 2001 |
|
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Daryl Williams |
| Succeeded by | Chris Ellison |
| Minister for Family and Community Services | |
| In office 10 November 2001 – 7 October 2003 |
|
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Jocelyn Newman |
| Succeeded by | Kay Patterson |
| Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | |
| In office 7 October 2003 – 30 January 2007 |
|
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Phillip Ruddock |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Andrews |
| Senator for South Australia | |
| In office 1 December 1984 – 26 April 2007 |
|
| Succeeded by | Mary Jo Fisher |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 December 1952 Adelaide, South Australia |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Alma mater | University of Adelaide |
Amanda Eloise Vanstone (born 7 December 1952) is an Australian former politician. She was a member of the Liberal Party of Australia. She also served as Australia's Ambassador to Italy.
Amanda Vanstone was a Senator for South Australia from 1984 to 2007. A Senator is a person elected to represent their state or territory in the Australian Parliament. During her time in Parliament, she held several important jobs as a Minister in the government led by Prime Minister John Howard. After leaving the Senate in 2007, she became Australia's Ambassador to Italy until July 2010. An Ambassador represents their country in another country.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Amanda Eloise O'Brien was born on 7 December 1952 in Adelaide, South Australia. She was the youngest of four children. Her father passed away when she was three years old. Her mother remarried, but her stepfather also passed away not long after.
Amanda went to school at the St Peter's Collegiate Girls' School. She has mentioned that growing up in a household led by women and attending an all-girls school helped her feel confident.
She studied at the University of Adelaide, where she earned degrees in Arts and Law. She also completed a special diploma in Legal Practice and a Marketing Studies Certificate. Before becoming a politician, she worked in retail and had her own business. She also worked as a lawyer. In the late 1980s, she married Tony Vanstone and took his last name.
Political Career
In December 1984, at 31 years old, Amanda Vanstone became the youngest person elected to the Australian Senate from South Australia. She was one of 27 Senators elected for the Liberal Party of Australia that year.
Her first speech in the Senate was on 27 March 1985. She spoke about the concerns young Australians had with the government at that time.
From 1987 to 1996, she was part of the Opposition Shadow Ministry. This means she was a spokesperson for her party on certain topics while they were not in power. She served as Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Justice.
In May 1990, Amanda Vanstone helped bring televised parliamentary proceedings to Australia. This allowed people to watch what was happening in Parliament on TV.
Ministerial Roles
In March 1996, Amanda Vanstone became one of two women in Prime Minister John Howard's Cabinet. She was appointed Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs. In this role, she oversaw changes to employment programs.
In October 1997, she became the Minister for Justice. This role was later changed to Minister for Justice and Customs in October 1998.
In January 2001, she returned to the Cabinet as Minister for Family and Community Services. She was also Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women. In this role, she was in charge of Australia's social security programs, including Centrelink.
In October 2003, Prime Minister Howard appointed her Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. This was a challenging role. One of her major decisions was to end the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC).
During 2005, there were some important cases involving people who were wrongly held or deported by the Immigration Department. These cases led to an inquiry that found problems within the department.
In January 2006, her title changed to Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. In January 2007, she left the Cabinet.
Life After Politics
On 26 April 2007, Amanda Vanstone announced she was leaving politics. She said it was time for her to move on to the next part of her life. Soon after, she was appointed Australia's Ambassador to Italy. She served in this role until July 2010.
In October 2012, Amanda Vanstone joined the board of the Port Adelaide Football Club.
From 2012, she was a guest presenter on the ABC Radio National program Counterpoint. By 2013, she became the full-time presenter of the show.
In 2013 and 2014, she was part of the Abbott government's National Commission of Audit. This group was set up to help improve the Australian government's budget. She is also the Chairwoman of Vision 20/20 Australia, an organization focused on eye health.
Political Views
Amanda Vanstone is a former Liberal Party politician. As the host of the Counterpoint radio program, she has become a political journalist. She describes herself as a "liberal" rather than a "conservative."
She was a key member of the moderate group within the Liberal Party of Australia. She also helped guide younger Liberal politicians, including Christopher Pyne.
