Former Australian diplomat turned hunger striker Gregory Andrews’ next move

Following a 19-day hunger strike and a stint in hospital, the former diplomat turned climate activist has revealed his plans for 2024.

Former senior Liberal adviser Gregory Andrews had a moment of clarity two weeks into starving himself outside Canberra’s Parliament House.

The 55-year-old, who quit his $250,000-a-year job in 2019 to protest inaction against climate change, had lost nearly seven kilos during his hunger strike and would soon be hospitalised for self-induced starvation.

Camped on the lawn outside his former workplace, he realised that his protest was a “pivot point” for something greater after chatting to one of the many passers-by who had stopped to greet him.

“A man named Allan in his 60s came up to me and said ‘Good on ya mate, you’re doing the right thing, and you’re lucky because the government is doing jack sh*t’,” Mr Andrews said.

Gregory Andrews lost 10kg during his hunger strike. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire

“I remember so many normal Australian families telling me a similar story. I grew up in poverty, and after working at Macca’s for my first job, I worked in a chicken abattoir, so I feel that I am one of the people.

“It made me think that in addition to climate change, next year, I want to work towards reforming Australia’s democracy.”

Mr Andrews, who had served as Australia’s to ambassador to West Africa just two years earlier, planned to not eat anything until Anthony Albanese agreed to cease funding for the fossil-fuel sector, reform environmental laws to phase out coal and gas exports and ban native logging.

While the Prime Minister did not directly respond to his demands, his office wrote back to Mr Andrews shortly after he was discharged from hospital in response to a petition he had filed for greater climate action.

The letter thanked him for getting in touch before directing his queries to three other separate government departments.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect the Prime Minister to meet with me, but it just shows you how incredibly bureaucratic it all is – that they didn’t acknowledge it even was an issue,” Mr Andrews said.

His hunger strike was cut short on day 16 after he was hospitalised. Picture: Twitter.

“My key message to the Prime Minister is that I was never alone on the lawns of Parliament House – and it would be a very big mistake to think I was just one person.”

A month after his release from hospital, the father of two plans to spend the rest of the summer with his family and regaining his strength before returning to climate advocacy full time.

He said he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of running as an independent candidate during the upcoming federal election.

“The pollies from the three parties, even the Greens who agreed with me, were patronising and told me to stop hunger striking and leave it to them, but independents like David Pocock, Jacqui Lambie and Andrew Wilkie didn’t,” he said.

“I’ve worked hard and benefited from that as an Australian in this lucky country, but most of the politicians are elite. They’ve never slept on the floor or remembered how lucky they felt to get a TV. They don’t connect with real Australians.

“That’s what we need in our parliament, people who are the real deal, people who represent us, the people. Not their interests or their party’s interest or big businesses.”