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This morning, we have received the sad news of the death of Kevin Andrews.

Kevin was an adornment to the Australian Parliament and a stalwart of the Liberal Party of Australia.

He was a main of faith, family, intellect, and service.

First elected as the Federal Member for Menzies at a by-election in 1991, Kevin was re-elected ten times as the Federal Member for Menzies.

A writer and a deep thinker, Kevin published many books and articles over the years on varied and wide subject matters – from Liberalism, to the family unit, and even one on cycling, which was a great passion of Kevin’s.

He was a staunch defender of the family unit and a true Liberal.

A man of law prior to entering politics, Kevin was a man who subscribed to the great Australian dream. He saw it as the duty of parliamentarians “to hand on to the next generation an even better nation than the one which we’ve inherited.” He described a successful society as ‘a compact across generations.’

Kevin was proud to come from ‘the great middle sector of Australia’. He said he ‘learnt early of the need to work hard to succeed’.

And work hard, he did.

He was a senior minister in the Howard and Abbott Governments and held critical portfolios of Ageing, Employment and Workplace Relations, Immigration and Citizenship, Social Services, and Defence throughout his significant ministerial career.

As Defence Minister, Kevin implemented the First Principles Review to establish a single Defence Force structure in Australia and authorised the replacement of the entire Australian naval fleet.

In his valedictory remarks, Kevin appreciated the increasingly precarious world in which we live, stating, “We must stand economically, strategically and militarily with those nations and states, however imperfect, that seek to uphold the dignity and the freedom of the individual against totalitarian regimes.”

At all times, he was thoughtful and wise – a minister of the highest integrity and a valued colleague to all.

In the days ahead, we will have an opportunity to reflect on the significant legacy of this most humble servant of the people and the community, and a great Australian – the finest of men.

On behalf of the Federal Coalition, I offer my heartfelt condolences to Kevin’s colleagues, his friends, and his family – especially to his dear wife, Margie, and their children.

May God bless Kevin Andrews, and may he rest in peace.