Science & Technology Australia thanks Karen Andrews MP for her powerful contributions to the science and technology sector as a long-serving Cabinet Minister and Shadow Minister.
Mrs Andrews this week stepped down from the Opposition frontbench and her role as Shadow Home Affairs Minister, and announced her plans to leave the Parliament at the next election.
The Member for McPherson will continue as Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Science group for the rest of this Parliamentary term.
Karen Andrews co-founded the influential group – one of the largest Parliamentary Friendship groups – with her Co-Chair, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, in 2012.
Science & Technology Australia supports the cross-party grouping of MPs and Senators by organising high-quality briefings on science and technology topics featuring diverse leading sector experts, with input from AAS and ATSE.
An MP since 2010, Mrs Andrews served as Cabinet Minister for Industry, Science and Technology from 2018-2021. As Science Minister, she announced the creation of the Cooperative Research Centre on Clean Energy and funding boosts for the Australian Space Agency and AI research.
“Karen Andrews has been a champion for science and technology throughout her Parliamentary career,” said Science & Technology Australia CEO Misha Schubert.
“Her cross-party work with Richard Marles has helped to elevate science in Parliamentary and policy discussions, and she has been a passionate advocate for the economy-enhancing benefits that come from government investment in STEM.”
“We are particularly grateful for her strong support of STA’s acclaimed Superstars of STEM program and our flagship annual event Science Meets Parliament.”
“Her backing has helped these game-changing programs make an even more powerful contribution to bring the expertise of Australia’s STEM community more deeply into the service of policy-making, and to lifting the media and public visibility of women in STEM.”
