# Andrew Southcott

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{{Short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix =
| name             = Andrew Southcott
| honorific_suffix = 
| image            = Andrew_Southcott.jpg
| constituency_MP  = [Boothby](/source/Division_of_Boothby)
| parliament       = Australian
| term_start       = 2 March 1996
| term_end         = 9 May 2016
| predecessor      = [Steele Hall](/source/Steele_Hall_(Australian_politician))
| successor        = [Nicolle Flint](/source/Nicolle_Flint)
| majority         = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1967|10|15}}
| birth_place      = [Panorama, South Australia](/source/Panorama%2C_South_Australia)
| death_date       = 
| death_place      = 
| party            = [Liberal Party of Australia](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia)
| relations        = 
| spouse           = Kate Southcott (née Simpson)
| children         = 2
| occupation       = Medical practitioner
| alma_mater       = [Flinders University](/source/Flinders_University)<br />[University of Adelaide](/source/University_of_Adelaide)
| signature        = 
| website          = [https://web.archive.org/web/20081021050505/http://www.andrewsouthcott.com.au/ AndrewSouthcott.com.au]
| footnotes        = 
| branch           = 25px [Royal Australian Naval Reserve](/source/Royal_Australian_Naval_Reserve)
| rank             = [Lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant) 
}}

'''Andrew John Southcott''' (born 15 October 1967) is an Australian politician and medical practitioner. He was the [Liberal](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia) member for the [House of Representatives](/source/Australian_House_of_Representatives) seat of [Boothby](/source/Division_of_Boothby) from the [1996 election](/source/1996_Australian_federal_election) until he stood down at the [2016 election](/source/2016_Australian_federal_election).

==Early life==
Southcott was born in [Panorama, South Australia](/source/Panorama%2C_South_Australia), and attended Paringa Park Primary School, and [St Peter's College](/source/St_Peter's_College%2C_Adelaide).

He studied medicine at [University of Adelaide](/source/University_of_Adelaide) and was a medical practitioner before entering politics, serving as an intern and surgical trainee at the [Royal Adelaide Hospital](/source/Royal_Adelaide_Hospital) and as a surgical registrar at the [Flinders Medical Centre](/source/Flinders_Medical_Centre) and [Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park](/source/Repatriation_General_Hospital%2C_Daw_Park). While in office he has completed a [Bachelor of Economics](/source/Bachelor_of_Economics) at [Flinders University](/source/Flinders_University) and a [Master of Business Administration](/source/Master_of_Business_Administration) at the [University of Adelaide](/source/University_of_Adelaide).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.andrewsouthcott.com/Pages/AboutAndrew/aboutAndrewSouthcott.aspx |title=About - Andrew Southcott MP - Federal Member for Boothby |accessdate=2010-09-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218165723/http://www.andrewsouthcott.com/Pages/AboutAndrew/aboutAndrewSouthcott.aspx |archivedate=18 February 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Political career==
Southcott joined the Liberal party in 1989 while serving as president of the Adelaide Medical Students Society. He defeated Senate leader and future Defence Minister [Robert Hill](/source/Robert_Hill_(Australian_politician)), a moderate, in a pre-selection battle for the seat of [Boothby](/source/Division_of_Boothby) in 1994. Southcott is from the conservative faction of the [Liberal Party of Australia](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia).<ref>{{cite journal |last= Parkin |first= Andrew |date=June 1998 |title= Australian Political Chronicle: July–December 1997 |journal= Australian Journal of Politics and History| volume = 44| issue =2|pages= 286–287 |issn=0004-9522 |doi=10.1111/1467-8497.00019}}</ref>

Southcott was elected to the [House of Representatives](/source/Australian_House_of_Representatives) seat of [Boothby](/source/Division_of_Boothby) at the [1996 election](/source/1996_Australian_federal_election) and remained a [backbencher](/source/backbencher) throughout the [Howard government](/source/Howard_government).

{|class=wikitable
|-align=right
| Election in [Boothby](/source/Division_of_Boothby) || [1996](/source/1996_Australian_federal_election)|| [1998](/source/1998_Australian_federal_election)|| [2001](/source/2001_Australian_federal_election)|| [2004](/source/2004_Australian_federal_election)|| [2007](/source/2007_Australian_federal_election)|| [2010](/source/2010_Australian_federal_election)|| [2013](/source/2013_Australian_federal_election)
|-align=right
| [First preference](/source/First-preference_votes) % ||53.4||48.2||47.9||50.6||46.3||44.8||51.1
|-align=right
| [Two-party-preferred](/source/Two-party-preferred_vote) % ||bgcolor="#61c3ff"|'''61.6'''||bgcolor="#80d8f9"|'''57.5'''||bgcolor="#80d8f9"|'''57.4'''||bgcolor="#a6e7ff"|'''55.4'''||bgcolor="#a6e7ff"|'''52.9'''||bgcolor="#a6e7ff"|'''50.8'''||bgcolor="#80d8f9"|'''57.7'''
|}

At the [2004 election](/source/2004_Australian_federal_election), despite a solid national two-party swing and vote to the Liberals, [Boothby](/source/Division_of_Boothby) became a marginal Liberal seat for the first time in over half a century, with [Labor](/source/Australian_Labor_Party)'s [Chloë Fox](/source/Chlo%C3%AB_Fox) reducing the Liberals to a marginal 5.4 percent two-party margin. Labor's [Nicole Cornes](/source/Nicole_Cornes) reduced the Liberals to a marginal 2.9 percent two-party margin at the [2007 election](/source/2007_Australian_federal_election), while at the [2010 election](/source/2010_Australian_federal_election) Labor's [Annabel Digance](/source/Annabel_Digance) reduced the Liberals to just a 0.75 percent two-party margin (638 votes), which put Boothby ahead of neighbouring [Sturt](/source/Division_of_Sturt) as the most marginal seat in South Australia. However, Boothby became a fairly safe Liberal seat again at the [2013 election](/source/2013_Australian_federal_election).

Southcott was a supporter of [Republicanism in Australia](/source/Republicanism_in_Australia).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s72500.htm |title=Four Corners - 10/27/1997: Battle Royal. Australian Broadcasting Corp<!-- Bot generated title --> |website=[Australian Broadcasting Corporation](/source/Australian_Broadcasting_Corporation) |access-date=27 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403201428/http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/s72500.htm |archive-date=3 April 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Southcott was chair of the Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Treaties from 2003 until 2007.<ref>[https://www.theage.com.au/news/national/indonesian-threat-to-block-envoy/2005/07/16/1121455936361.html Indonesian threat to block envoy - National - theage.com.au<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Following the Coalition's defeat at the [2007 election](/source/2007_Australian_federal_election), Southcott was appointed by party leader [Brendan Nelson](/source/Brendan_Nelson) to the Outer Shadow Ministry as Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, and Apprenticeships and Training.

Resulting from the ascendancy of [Malcolm Turnbull](/source/Malcolm_Turnbull) at the [2008 Liberal leadership ballot](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_leadership_spill%2C_2008), Southcott became Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Training and Sport.<ref>Coalition Shadow Ministry as at 22 September 2008, {{cite web|url=http://www.liberal.org.au/documents/CoaShadMinList.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2009-01-22 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010050221/http://www.liberal.org.au/documents/CoaShadMinList.pdf |archivedate=10 October 2008 }}</ref>

After the ascendancy of [Tony Abbott](/source/Tony_Abbott) at the [2009 Liberal leadership ballot](/source/Liberal_Party_of_Australia_leadership_spill%2C_2009), Southcott was dropped from the Outer Shadow Ministry and demoted to Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health Services, Health and Wellbeing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/biography.asp?id%3DTK6 |title=Parliament of Australia: House of Representatives - Members |accessdate=2010-08-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708003136/http://www.aph.gov.au/house/members/biography.asp?id=TK6 |archivedate=8 July 2010 |df=dmy }}</ref> Following the [2010 election](/source/2010_Australian_federal_election), Southcott was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Healthcare.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/parl/43/Shadow/index.htm |title=Department of the Parliamentary Library - Shadow Ministry |accessdate=2011-05-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100917122739/http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/parl/43/Shadow/index.htm |archivedate=17 September 2010 }}</ref>

Resulting from the [2013 election](/source/2013_Australian_federal_election) where the [Abbott government](/source/Abbott_government) took office, Southcott was dropped and not included in the incoming Abbott ministry, returning to the [backbench](/source/backbencher) where he remained.

Following the resignation of [Bronwyn Bishop](/source/Bronwyn_Bishop), Southcott ran for the position of [Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives](/source/Speaker_of_the_Australian_House_of_Representatives) in August 2015 but was unsuccessful.<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-08/speakership-candidates-profiles/6682002 Meet the candidates vying for the big chair: ABC 8 August 2015]</ref><ref>[https://www.afr.com/news/politics/tony-smith-replaces-bronwyn-bishop-as-speaker-20150809-giv9se Tony Smith replaces Bronwyn Bishop as Speaker: Financial Review 10 August 2015]</ref>

===Parliamentary resignation===
On 4 September 2015, Southcott announced that he would retire from parliament at the [2016 election](/source/2016_Australian_federal_election), and resume his medical career.<ref name=southcott>{{cite news|title=Liberal MP Andrew Southcott to stand down at next election|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/04/liberal-mp-andrew-southcott-to-stand-down-at-nextt-election|accessdate=4 September 2015|work=The Guardian|date=4 September 2015}}</ref> Southcott said his decision not to re-contest [Boothby](/source/Division_of_Boothby) was "completely unrelated" to being unsuccessful in running for the Speakership.<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-04/southcott-not-standing-at-next-federal-election-boothby/6748814 Veteran South Australian MP Andrew Southcott won't stand at next election: ABC 4 September 2015]</ref> The Liberals pre-selected doctoral student and newspaper columnist [Nicolle Flint](/source/Nicolle_Flint) as their candidate in Boothby at the [2016 election](/source/2016_Australian_federal_election).<ref>[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-01/liberals-announce-nicolle-flint-as-its-boothby-candidate/6902666 Liberals announce Nicolle Flint as Boothby candidate in SA to replace veteran Andrew Southcott: ABC 1 November 2015]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.andrewsouthcott.com/ Personal website]
*[http://www.aph.gov.au/A_Southcott_MP Parliamentary Biography]

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au}}
{{s-bef|before=[Steele Hall](/source/Steele_Hall_(Australian_politician))}}
{{s-ttl|title=[Member for Boothby](/source/Division_of_Boothby)|years=1996–2016}}
{{s-aft|after=[Nicolle Flint](/source/Nicolle_Flint)}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Southcott, Andrew}}
Category:Politicians from Adelaide
Category:1967 births
Category:Living people
Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia
Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives
Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Boothby
Category:University of Adelaide Medical School alumni
Category:People educated at St Peter's College, Adelaide
Category:Flinders University alumni
Andrew
Category:Australian MPs 1996–1998
Category:Australian MPs 1998–2001
Category:Australian MPs 2001–2004
Category:Australian MPs 2004–2007
Category:Australian MPs 2007–2010
Category:Australian MPs 2010–2013
Category:Australian MPs 2013–2016

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Andrew Southcott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Southcott) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Southcott?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.