Karen Andrews reveals what she will do after she leaves parliament – and what she really thinks about Scott Morrison

As she prepares to leave parliament, Karen Andrews has unleashed on what’s wrong with the light rail, the problems women face in politics – and what she really things of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Read the full interview.

Karen Andrews doesn’t know when the call will come, but she knows exactly what she will do.

On whatever Saturday the next federal election is called – Ms Andrews suspects sometime in May – she will drive to her Varsity Lakes office and start packing up her cardboard boxes.

Once the writs are issued on the following Monday, she must be out of that office by 5pm. It’s a hard ending.

But by that time, Ms Andrews plans to be in her car, with a different set of baggage packed behind her, on her way to the Queensland outback, she thinks most likely Charleville.

She might be accompanied by her 91-year-old mother, or her sister, or one or more of her three children, possibly her dogs, it all depends on that fateful date.

But she knows with absolute certainty she won’t be on the Gold Coast. And she won’t be back until the election is over, and someone new is representing her beloved seat of McPherson.

“I won’t be endorsing anyone, I trust the people of McPherson to make the right decision,” said Ms Andrews, the mechanical engineer who became Queensland’s first female federal cabinet minister.

“No one needs me hanging around during the campaign, getting in the way. But it’s also for my own sake as well, I know I’ll need time to decompress, reflect and relax.

“I’ve made the right decision to retire, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy when the day comes to let go.”

Federal member for McPherson Karen Andrews in her Varsity Lakes office. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

As of last weekend, Ms Andrews officially became the longest serving member for McPherson. It was never her aim, but she’s nonetheless proud.

While she knows where she’ll spend the first few weeks of retirement – in the bush – she’s not quite as sure when it comes to her post-election plans. She’s been invited already to sit on a number of boards, but without knowing the date of retirement she can’t yet commit.

She and former City of Gold Coast councillor William Owen-Jones have also discussed hosting a political podcast together, but for now she’s more than busy continuing to do her job serving the people of the southern Gold Coast.

However, she admits she will be glad when she’s no longer obliged to attend gala functions on the glitter strip.

“I’ve never been one of the beautiful people, never been part of the social set, and I’ve never wanted to, either,” she said.

“That’s no judgment on those who are, it’s just not my thing. I’m more of an introvert, I consider myself an ‘everyday’ person, and that’s why I wanted to enter politics, to make sure that our voices were heard.”

As far as that role of listening and representing goes, Ms Andrews said she was happy with her record. Her office logs hundreds of phone calls every week, reaching out to residents to find out the issues, and then taking those concerns to parliament.

She said she can sleep at night knowing she has listened to the people of McPherson … whether she was listened to in turn is another story.

An artist’s impression of what the light rail will look like in Palm Beach.

And that’s especially true when it comes to the ongoing saga of overdevelopment and infrastructure on the southern Gold Coast.

“Sometimes I felt a bit like Cassandra (the figure in Greek mythology cursed to speak true prophecies but never be believed), especially with the light rail,” she said.

“I’ve been out there on the ground and I’ve heard what people are saying. With Mr Crisafulli committing to a review (if the LNP wins the state election), I’m happy there’s a realisation now of the extent of the issue in that area.

“I am supportive of the light rail, but the issue has always been the path it will take.

“The problem has been that those who were in the driving seat – the state government and to an extent the council – never made an attempt to bring the community along with them.

“It’s all well and good for people who live outside the area to say ‘well it needs to go through because people from Broadbeach need to go to the airport’, but at what cost?

“How often do people go to the airport anyway? It’s really not a strong argument, I go to the airport a lot and I don’t go every week.

“It would be a stronger argument to say we need to move people up and down the coast and get cars off the road. But it’s not, it’s ‘airport, airport, airport’.

“For tourists, sure … that’s why locals call it Tom’s tourist train.

“If it really is just all about the airport, then heavy rail from Varsity makes much more sense.

“If you’re going to plough something straight through an area where there is opposition from people who live there, you need to make really sure that is the absolute best and only option. And I don’t think anyone is convinced of that right now.”

Ms Andrews said the perception of overdevelopment was another red-hot issue, particularly in Burleigh Heads and Palm Beach, with the sentiment growing stronger in the south.

She said while many residents believed there was a ‘rabbit-proof fence’ that would protect their suburbs from unwanted high-rises, the reality was that development creep was quickly headed towards the border.

“There is no easy answer, we need housing supply to bring prices down, but we need to keep the character of the town we love … that’s why we need to listen to locals and work out solutions together.”

Leon Rebello has been selected as the LNP’s candidate for McPherson at the next election. Picture: Portia Large.

For all of Ms Andrews’ pride in her listening skills, she’s also not afraid to speak up.

When she finishes at the end of this term, whenever that might be, there will be just one Liberal woman in parliament from Queensland.

In her own seat of McPherson, not one woman was nominated for LNP preselection, with Leon Rebello to stand as the party’s candidate.

“I don’t have to be replaced by a woman, but I was disappointed that not one woman was in the mix for my party,” she said.

“I think the LNP preselection process is flawed, there are structural issues that work against women. You can give a great speech and answer the questions terrifically but you won’t be preselected, you have to spend the hours and do the groundwork with the party members so they know and like you.

“A lot of women don’t have time for that. If you have a family you need to have someone helping out … the men have wives. The women don’t always have that help.

“But you look at the success that the independents have had, look at how many women in their 40s, 50s and 60s are winning … clearly Australians don’t have an issue in voting for a woman. But we’re not giving them that option.

“We need to clear the way so they can be preselected without having to give up years of groundwork.”

While Ms Andrews rose to hold the Ministry of Home Affairs under Scott Morrison’s leadership, she said she was unpleasantly surprised by the attitude of some of her male colleagues.

In the wake of the ministries scandals, when Mr Morrison secretly appointed himself to several portfolios, including her own, and she subsequently called for his resignation from parliament, she said it was not just the deafening silence of support, or lack thereof, from her fellow party members that disappointed her.

“So many people talked about what I said and fully agreed … but not one put out a public statement. I don’t regret what I said or how I said it, but I wish I hadn’t had to do it. And I wish I had not been the only one,” she said.

“After I made those comments, one of my male colleagues said ‘I thought you were really close to Morrison’, and I told him not especially.

“He then said he thought that was why I was promoted to Home Affairs. I said, ‘Really? I thought it was because I was capable and competent’.

“That’s how they work … they assume you get somewhere because you’re someone’s mate – and that is how it works for many of the men.

“The women on the other hand, we were never really included in the wine and cheese get-togethers in someone’s office. It’s starting to change now but in so many ways it hasn’t been a level playing field, overtly and covertly.”

Karen Andrews with former Prime Minister Scott Morrison. (AAP Image/David Mariuz)

Regarding the ministries controversy, Ms Andrews said she wished Mr Morrison well, but that his conduct was unforgivable.

She said it rocked her trust as she always believed one of the Liberal Party’s greatest assets was its reliability in doing the right thing, the right way.

“If he had talked to me, I would have organised a back-up in case of my falling ill, but it never would have been the Prime Minister. That’s not the way it works.

“I didn’t take it personally, but I did take it professionally – although I’m sure he doesn’t lose any sleep over it.

“I will say that in the days following my speaking out, I was walking through Pacific Fair with my mother and so many people stopped me to say ‘good on you’ and show their support. It was so much attention that my mother thought I must be in trouble, but it was actually really lovely.”

Ms Andrews said she would always support the Liberal Party’s values, but conceded that leader Peter Dutton did struggle with an image problem.

However, she said it would be wrong for the party to dump him before the election.

And it’s not only the state and federal elections on her mind, Ms Andrews said she was keeping a keen eye on the US election, saying either presidential candidate could prove problematic for Australia.

But her gravest fear was the increasing volatility in the Middle East. Indeed, just days after this interview, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Australia’s terror threat level had been raised from ‘possible’ to ‘probable’.

“When I was Home Affairs minister, I listed Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations. My fear was always that Iran might enter the conflict, and now we are seeing they are signalling that.

“This is a situation that can blow up very quickly, and the next president of the US could set this off easily. It is a worrying time.”

While she will no longer officially be part of that political conversation, Ms Andrews said she would never not be interested.

But she is looking forward to that moment when she is finally free to head out bush and tune out for a while.

“I’m looking forward to sleeping in and just taking a deep breath and dropping the shoulders,” she said.

“I started in opposition, which was a great way to learn, and I loved being in government and ending in opposition is maybe a neat bookend.

“People say being in opposition is hard, but it’s actually easy – all you have to do is be negative. But that takes its toll. It sinks into your mindset and that’s not where I want to be.

“There is too much to be grateful for and to enjoy … I live on the Gold Coast, what could be better?”