Amanda Vanstone
Encyclopedia
Amanda Eloise Vanstone (born 7 December 1952) is a former Australian politician and a former Ambassador to Italy. She was a Liberal
Senator
for South Australia from 1984 to 2007, and held several ministerial portfolios
in the Howard Government
. After her resignation from the Senate in 2007, she served as the Australian Ambassador to Italy
until July 2010. Her time as Minister for Immigration
was marked by controversies within the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs.
, South Australia. As a child, Vanstone was educated at St Peter's Collegiate Girls' School
before attending the University of Adelaide
. At university, Vanstone received both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees, as well as a Graduate Diploma
in Legal Practice and a Marketing Studies Certificate from the South Australian Institute of Technology which is now the University of South Australia
. In the late 1980s, Amanda married Tony Vanstone, a commercial lawyer from Adelaide. Prior to entering politics, Vanstone worked as a retailer in a large department store, and later had her own business selling prints and picture-frames. She later took up a job as a legal practitioner.
as a representative for South Australia. She was one of 27 senators for the Liberal Party of Australia
elected that year. Vanstone's maiden speech
to the Senate was made on 27 March 1985 and addressed issues that young Australians had with the then Labor Government
led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke
.
Vanstone was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry from 1987 to 1988, from 1989 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, serving as Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Justice from 1994 to 1996.
In May 1990, as an opposition backbencher, Vanstone was instrumental in the introduction of televised proceedings in parliament.
In March 1996 Vanstone became one of the two women (with Jocelyn Newman
) in John Howard
's cabinet when she was appointed Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs. In this portfolio she presided over heavy cuts to the employment programs established by the Keating
government, which drew strong criticism. In October 1997 she was dropped from Cabinet and appointed Minister for Justice
, a title which was changed to Minister for Justice and Customs
in October 1998.
Vanstone made a comeback in January 2001 when she was re-appointed to Cabinet as Minister for Family and Community Services
. During this period she was also Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women
. In the Family and Community Services portfolio she presided over the massive government pensions and welfare system whose service delivery agency, Centrelink
, is a frequent target of criticism by welfare activists.
Vanstone proved to be a blunt-talking, robust defender of government policies, and the then Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services, Wayne Swan
, described her as "a political hyena who takes delight in attacking society's most vulnerable".
In his reshuffle in October 2003, Howard showed his confidence in Vanstone by appointing her Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation, one of the most difficult portfolios in the government because of controversies such as over boat people
and Australia's "Pacific Solution
". Her biggest decision in this portfolio was to abolish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). The abolition of ATSIC was generally supported, but there was controversy over what should replace it.
During 2005 Vanstone became involved in some major controversies, one of them involving a defecting Chinese diplomat, Chen Yonglin
, whilst others involved the deportation of people who her department considered undesirable – the Cornelia Rau
, Vivian Alvarez Solon, Stefan Nystrom
and Robert Jovicic
cases. An inquiry by the former Australian Federal Police
commissioner Mick Palmer was severely critical of the Immigration Department's treatment of Cornelia Rau.
She has also been criticized for overturning a deportation order and granting a visa in 2005 to Francesco Madafferi, who had been implicated by Italian officials as a dangerous mafia figure. In fact Madafferi is thought to be a member of the Calabria
n 'Ndrangheta, known by the name Honoured Society
in Australia, which although a similar crime organization to the Sicilian
Mafia
is distinct from it, however common usage is to lump all such organizations together as Mafia. Francesco and his brother Antonio, a stall holder in Melbourne's Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable market (known to have been controlled by the Honoured Society
), were alleged in a report by Victoria Police
's organised crime squad to belong to a crime family involved in blackmail, extortion and murder. The report was aired in 2000 at a court hearing during Francesco's fight against deportation, but was later dismissed by an Administrative Appeals Tribunal judge as containing information from unnamed and possibly unreliable police informers. Vanstone justified her decision to grant Madafferi a visa because of a mental illness he was said to be suffering from. However it is alleged that relatives and associates of Madafferi donated up to $100,000 to the Liberal Party, and that four Liberal party politicians had discussed the visa case with Madafferi's supporters or Vanstone's office. In August 2008, Madafferi was arrested and charged, along with several of Australia's other suspected crime bosses (including Australian 'Ndrangheta boss Pasquale "Pat" Barbaro), after Australian Federal Police made the world's biggest ecstasy haul, seizing drugs with a street value of $440 million.
In January 2006 a ministerial reshuffle saw Indigenous Affairs transferred to Mal Brough
. Vanstone's title was changed to Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. In January 2007, the Senator was removed from the cabinet after an election year reshuffle, with Kevin Andrews
replacing her as the Immigration Minister in the new Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).
In July 2006, Vanstone was criticized for holding shares in the South Australian Agribusiness
Wasley's Piggery. Wasley's had come under fire after the group, Animal Liberation Australia, revealed footage of animal conditions which they say did not adhere to the state's animal welfare
regulations. Vanstone responded stating that she is 'simply one shareholder in the business'. The RSPCA later conducted an inspection and found that while the sow stall sizes were smaller than regulation, the size was only a recommendation and could not be enforced.
In February 2007, she released the lyrics to her "Ode to Australia", Under Southern Stars
.
On 26 April 2007, Vanstone announced her immediate resignation from politics, telling reporters, "It is always important to look to the future and with that in mind it is important for me to move on to the next phase of my life".
Vanstone was appointed ambassador to Italy in June 2007.
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
Senator
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
for South Australia from 1984 to 2007, and held several ministerial portfolios
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
in the Howard Government
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
. After her resignation from the Senate in 2007, she served as the Australian Ambassador to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
until July 2010. Her time as Minister for Immigration
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (Australia)
In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is responsible for overseeing the Department of Immigration and Citizenship....
was marked by controversies within the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs.
Early life
Vanstone was born on 7 December 1952, the youngest of four children in AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia. As a child, Vanstone was educated at St Peter's Collegiate Girls' School
St Peter's Collegiate Girls' School
St Peter's Girls' School, , is an independent girls' school located in Adelaide, South Australia...
before attending the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
. At university, Vanstone received both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees, as well as a Graduate Diploma
Graduate Diploma
A Graduate Diploma is generally a postgraduate qualification, although some graduate diplomas involve the study of undergraduate level courses...
in Legal Practice and a Marketing Studies Certificate from the South Australian Institute of Technology which is now the University of South Australia
University of South Australia
The University of South Australia is a public university in the Australian state of South Australia. It was formed in 1991 with the merger of the South Australian Institute of Technology and Colleges of Advanced Education. It is the largest university in South Australia, with more than 36,000...
. In the late 1980s, Amanda married Tony Vanstone, a commercial lawyer from Adelaide. Prior to entering politics, Vanstone worked as a retailer in a large department store, and later had her own business selling prints and picture-frames. She later took up a job as a legal practitioner.
Political career
In 1984, at age 32, Vanstone was elected the youngest member of the Australian SenateAustralian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
as a representative for South Australia. She was one of 27 senators for the Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
elected that year. Vanstone's maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
to the Senate was made on 27 March 1985 and addressed issues that young Australians had with the then Labor Government
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
.
Vanstone was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry from 1987 to 1988, from 1989 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, serving as Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Justice from 1994 to 1996.
In May 1990, as an opposition backbencher, Vanstone was instrumental in the introduction of televised proceedings in parliament.
In March 1996 Vanstone became one of the two women (with Jocelyn Newman
Jocelyn Newman
Jocelyn Margaret Newman was an Australian Senator for Tasmania for 15 years.Newman was born in Melbourne and was a Barrister and solicitor before entering Parliament. She married Kevin Newman in 1961. Her son Campbell Newman is the Lord Mayor of Brisbane.Newman was appointed to the Senate on 13...
) in John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
's cabinet when she was appointed Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs. In this portfolio she presided over heavy cuts to the employment programs established by the Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
government, which drew strong criticism. In October 1997 she was dropped from Cabinet and appointed Minister for Justice
Minister for Justice (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Justice is the Hon Brendan O'Connor MP. The position supports the Attorney-General. Michael Tate was appointed the first minister with this title on 18 September 1987 and there have ministers with responsibilities for justice ever since except between 3 December 2007...
, a title which was changed to Minister for Justice and Customs
Minister for Home Affairs (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Home Affairs has been Brendan O'Connor since 6 June 2009. The Home Affairs portfolio brings together agencies such as the Australian Customs Service , the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, which were previously the...
in October 1998.
Vanstone made a comeback in January 2001 when she was re-appointed to Cabinet as Minister for Family and Community Services
Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Family, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs has been Jenny Macklin since December 2007.-Portfolio:...
. During this period she was also Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women
Minister for the Status of Women (Australia)
The Australian Minister for Status of Women is Kate Ellis, who was appointed on 14 September 2010. The ministry is administered through the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs....
. In the Family and Community Services portfolio she presided over the massive government pensions and welfare system whose service delivery agency, Centrelink
Centrelink
Centrelink is the trading name of the Commonwealth Service Delivery Agency , a statutory authority responsible for delivering human services on behalf of agencies of the Commonwealth Government of Australia. The majority of Centrelink's services are the disbursement of social security payments...
, is a frequent target of criticism by welfare activists.
Vanstone proved to be a blunt-talking, robust defender of government policies, and the then Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services, Wayne Swan
Wayne Swan
Wayne Maxwell Swan is the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1993 to 1996, and then re elected in 1998 till today , representing the Division of Lilley, QLD...
, described her as "a political hyena who takes delight in attacking society's most vulnerable".
In his reshuffle in October 2003, Howard showed his confidence in Vanstone by appointing her Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation, one of the most difficult portfolios in the government because of controversies such as over boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
and Australia's "Pacific Solution
Pacific Solution
The Pacific Solution was the name given to the Australian government policy of transporting asylum seekers to detention camps on small island nations in the Pacific Ocean, rather than allowing them to land on the Australian mainland...
". Her biggest decision in this portfolio was to abolish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). The abolition of ATSIC was generally supported, but there was controversy over what should replace it.
During 2005 Vanstone became involved in some major controversies, one of them involving a defecting Chinese diplomat, Chen Yonglin
Chen Yonglin
Chen Yonglin is a former Chinese diplomat who sparked fears of a diplomatic incident through his defection to Australia in the summer of 2005. The episode highlighted the tensions faced by China's trade partners when concerns arise from that nation's human rights record...
, whilst others involved the deportation of people who her department considered undesirable – the Cornelia Rau
Cornelia Rau
Cornelia Rau is a German citizen and Australian permanent resident who was unlawfully detained for a period of ten months in 2004 and 2005 as part of the Australian Government's mandatory detention program.- Overview :...
, Vivian Alvarez Solon, Stefan Nystrom
Stefan Nystrom
Stefan Nystrom was a long-time resident of Australia who was deported to Sweden in controversial circumstances in 2006.- Life :Nystrom was born on 31 December 1973 in Sweden. His mother was an Australian resident but was visiting her parents in Sweden in the late stages of her pregnancy. She...
and Robert Jovicic
Robert Jovicic
Robert Jovicic was a long-time resident of Australia who was deported to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia where he became destitute in 2005.Jovicic was born on December 4, 1966 in France of Serbian parents...
cases. An inquiry by the former Australian Federal Police
Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
commissioner Mick Palmer was severely critical of the Immigration Department's treatment of Cornelia Rau.
She has also been criticized for overturning a deportation order and granting a visa in 2005 to Francesco Madafferi, who had been implicated by Italian officials as a dangerous mafia figure. In fact Madafferi is thought to be a member of the Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
n 'Ndrangheta, known by the name Honoured Society
Honoured Society
The Honoured Society was a Calabrian 'Ndrangheta criminal group that operated in Melbourne, Australia. In 1963, it was reportedly involved in the Victoria Market Murders. It was led by gangster Frank Benvenuto until his slaying in 2000...
in Australia, which although a similar crime organization to the Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
is distinct from it, however common usage is to lump all such organizations together as Mafia. Francesco and his brother Antonio, a stall holder in Melbourne's Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable market (known to have been controlled by the Honoured Society
Honoured Society
The Honoured Society was a Calabrian 'Ndrangheta criminal group that operated in Melbourne, Australia. In 1963, it was reportedly involved in the Victoria Market Murders. It was led by gangster Frank Benvenuto until his slaying in 2000...
), were alleged in a report by Victoria Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
's organised crime squad to belong to a crime family involved in blackmail, extortion and murder. The report was aired in 2000 at a court hearing during Francesco's fight against deportation, but was later dismissed by an Administrative Appeals Tribunal judge as containing information from unnamed and possibly unreliable police informers. Vanstone justified her decision to grant Madafferi a visa because of a mental illness he was said to be suffering from. However it is alleged that relatives and associates of Madafferi donated up to $100,000 to the Liberal Party, and that four Liberal party politicians had discussed the visa case with Madafferi's supporters or Vanstone's office. In August 2008, Madafferi was arrested and charged, along with several of Australia's other suspected crime bosses (including Australian 'Ndrangheta boss Pasquale "Pat" Barbaro), after Australian Federal Police made the world's biggest ecstasy haul, seizing drugs with a street value of $440 million.
In January 2006 a ministerial reshuffle saw Indigenous Affairs transferred to Mal Brough
Mal Brough
Malcolm Thomas "Mal" Brough is a former Australian politician and Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 to November 2007, representing the Division of Longman, Queensland...
. Vanstone's title was changed to Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. In January 2007, the Senator was removed from the cabinet after an election year reshuffle, with Kevin Andrews
Kevin Andrews (Australian politician)
Kevin James Andrews is an Australian politician and member of the Liberal Party of Australia. He is a member of the House of Representatives and was Minister for Immigration and Citizenship in the Howard Government, having previously been Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations from 7...
replacing her as the Immigration Minister in the new Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).
In July 2006, Vanstone was criticized for holding shares in the South Australian Agribusiness
Agribusiness
In agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales....
Wasley's Piggery. Wasley's had come under fire after the group, Animal Liberation Australia, revealed footage of animal conditions which they say did not adhere to the state's animal welfare
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
regulations. Vanstone responded stating that she is 'simply one shareholder in the business'. The RSPCA later conducted an inspection and found that while the sow stall sizes were smaller than regulation, the size was only a recommendation and could not be enforced.
In February 2007, she released the lyrics to her "Ode to Australia", Under Southern Stars
Under Southern Stars
Under Southern Stars is an Australian patriotic song with lyrics written by former Australian immigration minister and Senator Amanda Vanstone...
.
On 26 April 2007, Vanstone announced her immediate resignation from politics, telling reporters, "It is always important to look to the future and with that in mind it is important for me to move on to the next phase of my life".
Vanstone was appointed ambassador to Italy in June 2007.
External links
- Amanda Vanstone, Senate Biography
- Australian Women biographical entry
- Vanstone pens ode to Australia, 4 February 2007, News.com.au, AAPAustralian Associated PressAustralian Associated Press is Australia's national news agency. The organisation was established in 1935 by Fairfax and The Herald and Weekly Times.AAP employs more than 175 journalists who work in bureaux in all Australian states and territories...
- Transcript: Amanda Vanstone, Enough RopeEnough RopeEnough Rope with Andrew Denton is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC Television in Australia...
with Andrew DentonAndrew DentonAndrew Christopher Denton is an Australian television producer, comedian, Gold Logie-nominated television presenter and former radio host, and was the host of the ABC's weekly television interview program Enough Rope. He is known for his comedy and interviewing technique...
(Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
), 24 May 2004.