John Dawkins’ daughter Alice in bid for Labor preselection.

As the child of a treasurer in the Keating government and a former staffer for Kim Beazley, politics runs in Alice Dawkins’ blood.

Alice Dawkins says her father has given her a strong appreciation for the ‘gritty but essential task of reform’ Picture: Neil Jacobs/Church Hill Photography

A 27-year-old Mandarin speaker and daughter of a former federal treasurer is throwing her hat in the ring for ALP preselection in the safe South Australian Labor seat of Spence — soon to be vacated by Nick Champion.

Alice Dawkins, who grew up in the Barossa Valley and has previously nominated for the seat of Mayo, recently returned to South Australia after working for mining magnate Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest’s public-interest technology program.

As the daughter of John Dawkins, treasurer in the Keating government, and Maggie Dawkins, a former staffer for Kim Beazley, politics runs in Alice’s blood.

Mr Dawkins had stints as trade, finance and education minister, where is best known for merging universities and colleges of advanced education, along with introducing HECS.

She says seeing her father’s work has given her a strong appreciation for the “gritty but essential task of reform” and hopes Labor will make the nominations process more transparent to encourage recruitment, more female representation and greater participation in the party.

She will challenge Matt Burnell, a Transport Workers Union’s senior branch official, for the ALP spot, telling The Australian she would take a much more expansive view of worker rights challenges and economic opportunities than her preselection rival.

“What we’ve heard from Mr Burnell so far is his blue-collar credentials will address a current imbalance and lack of representation in parliament,” she said. “I don’t think that’s factually correct.

John Dawkins, wife Maggie and 14-month-old Alice in 1994.

“If we look at the nine SA reps in Canberra right now, four come from the trade union movement as former union officials. My question to Mr Burnell is: what is he going to do that these esteemed union reps have not? Out of the ALP’s 10 safest lower house seats just one is held by a woman. The public isn’t going to keep on accepting the wisdom of closed-door captain’s picks.”

Ms Dawkins said her work in digital public policy emphasised that blue-collar jobs were at the highest risk of automation and addressing the implications of underemployment, casualisation and the precarious gig economy would be at the top of her agenda.

“The (digital) transition ahead of us is playing out now but will reach fever pitch in the next decade and is going to hit not only unionised workers but non unionised too. The traditional modes of trade union membership are not the only structure we need to think about – but the precarious and uncertain future for all Australians.”

Ms Dawkins, who has honours degrees in Asian Studies and Law from the Australian National University and spent a year in Beijing as an elite Schwarzman scholar, said she was well placed to understand the nuance required to ensure better outcomes for Australians impacted by Canberra’s deteriorating relationship with Beijing.

“I’m confident I’ll be able to bring some expertise to that dilemma,” she said.

The biggest error in bilateral relations, she says, had been the ventilation of foreign policy errors in a highly politicised way.

“We need to be engaging with the experts and operating extremely strategically and decisively and not scoring political points in the public arena – it’s just irresponsible.”

Ms Dawkins, who said she was inspired by aged care services spokeswoman Clare O’Neill’s calls for more females to join Labor’s ranks in Canberra, turns 28 in October, but rejects any notion that age is a barrier to politics.

“The data I’ve seen shows that only 10 per cent of the lower house are under 40 and considering the economic brunt of the pandemic is going to be weathered disproportionately by the under 40s — it’s about time we had that age group represented.”