Karen Andrews

[4] She is the daughter of William and Moya Weir; her father served in World War II and was later national secretary and treasurer of an organisation for disabled veterans.

[6] After graduating Andrews worked as a drafter with the Queensland Electricity Generating Board and in plant maintenance at the Gladstone Power Station.

[5] In the mid-1990s, Andrews joined the Victorian Department of Health and Community Services as head of its industrial branch, working under the responsible minister Marie Tehan.

[6] In October 2009, Andrews won a Liberal National Party of Queensland ballot for preselection in the federal seat of McPherson, following the retirement of the incumbent MP Margaret May.

[10] In July 2014, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported that her office had an unusually high employee turnover and that former staffers had accused her of creating a hostile work environment.

According to The Australian, during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic she "became a key player in the government's response as it scrambled to reassure the public about both the contagion itself and the panic-buying that soon began threatening supplies of food, toilet paper and sanitising products".

[6] Andrews was appointed Minister for Home Affairs in March 2021, following a cabinet reshuffle related to the 2021 Australian Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations.

[20] In a 2018 interview with Sky News, Andrews declared that coal would play a major role in Australia's energy mix in the future.

Andrews in 2015
Andrews at the 2019 PM's Prize for Science with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and prize recipient Cheryl Praeger
Abbott
The Honourable Tony Abbott MP, 28th Prime Minister of Australia, 2013–2015
Turnbull
The Honourable Malcolm Turnbull MP, 29th Prime Minister of Australia, 2015-
Turnbull
The Honourable Malcolm Turnbull MP, 29th Prime Minister of Australia, 2015-2018
Morrison
The Honourable Scott Morrison MP, 30th Prime Minister of Australia, 2018-2022
Morrison
The Honourable Scott Morrison MP, 30th Prime Minister of Australia, 2018-2022