The Honourable
Andrew Broad
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Mallee
In office
7 September 2013 – 11 April 2019
Preceded byJohn Forrest
Succeeded byAnne Webster
Personal details
Born (1975-07-02) 2 July 1975
Carnarvon, Western Australia, Australia
Political partyNational
SpouseRachel Mellings
OccupationFarmer

Andrew John Broad (born 2 July 1975 in Carnarvon, Western Australia) is an Australian former politician who represented Mallee in the Australian House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019 as a member of The Nationals.[1] He was Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister from September 2018 until December 2018. He did not run in the seat of Mallee at the federal election in May 2019.

Career

Broad is a former president of the Victorian Farmers' Federation,[2][3] Director of the National Farmers Federation and Director of Australian Made. A small business owner, Broad operated his wheat and sheep farm for 16 years from the age of 22. In 2006, Broad completed a Nuffield Scholarship, travelling to over 40 countries to advance his knowledge of best practice canola production, exploring biotechnology, agronomic advances and new grower techniques.[4]

Broad is a former Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy,[2] and former co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of UNICEF, and member of the Parliamentarians Against Family Violence group.[5] Broad is also a former member of the Coalition Backbench Committee on Agriculture and the Coalition Backbench Committee on Trade and Investment.

Broad's political interests included small business measures, domestic gas reservation policy, water policy, primary producer tax concessions, school chaplaincy,[6] domestic violence, illicit drug abuse, greater support for children with type 1 diabetes, drought policy and increases in foreign aid.[7]

Broad was a very strong critic of his own government cuts to foreign aid, arguing that a prosperous country such as Australia should not turn its back on its obligations to others less fortunate.

Since leaving the Australian Parliament, Andrew Broad has travelled Australia, the Pacific Islands, Asia, Europe and North America and continued a career in business and undertaken humanitarian work.

Resignation and retirement

In December 2018, New Idea reported that Broad had used a "seeking arrangements" website to meet a younger woman.[8] In response to the report, Broad stated that the woman making the allegations "may have engaged in criminal activity", and that he had referred the matter to the Australian Federal Police.

Broad resigned from the ministry on 17 December 2018 as a result of the scandal.[9] Subsequently, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack revealed that he was aware of the allegations two weeks prior to them being published.[10]

In a statement released on 17 December, the Australian Federal Police said that it had received and "assessed the information provided" by Broad, but that "no applicable offences under Australian law have been identified as any offence was outside Australia's jurisdiction". In addition, the agency stated that it had received the referral from Broad on 8 November.[11][12] Broad reimbursed the costs of two flights between Mildura and Melbourne, charged to his Parliamentary account, for when he flew to Hong Kong, and did not recontest the seat of Mallee at the 2019 election.[13]

In March 2019, Broad gave his final speech in the parliament outlining his achievements, and stating his desire to spend more time with his wife and daughter.[14] He said he had made a "dumb mistake" in using the website and that politics had "made him not as nice a person".[15]

References

  1. ↑ Green, Antony (2013). "Mallee". ABC Election Guide 2013. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  2. 1 2 "Senators and Members: Mr Andrew Broad MP". Australian House of Representatives. Parliament of Australia.
  3. ↑ "Andrew Broad". The National Parliamentary Team. Nationals.
  4. ↑ "2005 Nuffield Scholars Announced" (PDF). Australian Nuffield Farming Scholars Association. 7 October 2005. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  5. ↑ Ireland, Judith (30 October 2014). "Tim Watts on why privileged men need to join the domestic violence fight". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Andrew Broad MP commends National School Chaplaincy Program in parliament". Australian Nuffield Farming Scholars Association. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Search Hansard: Andrew Broad". Parliamentary Business. Parliament of Australia.
  8. ↑ Isrin, Kietley (16 December 2018). "Nationals MP Andrew Broad shock 'sugar baby' secret". New Idea. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  9. ↑ "Andrew Broad resigns from Morrison ministry over bombshell sex scandal allegations". Sydney Morning Herald. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  10. ↑ "Michael McCormack knew about Andrew Broad allegations two weeks ago – video". The Guardian. AAP. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  11. ↑ Grattan, Michelle (17 December 2018). "National Andrew Broad forced to quit frontbench amid 'sugar baby' allegation". The Conversation. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  12. ↑ @BevanShields (17 December 2018). "AFP statement noting November 8 referral date casts serious doubt on Michael McCormack's claim that he was only told about this two weeks ago and then urged Andrew Broad to contact AFP #auspol" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ↑ Doran, Matthew (18 December 2018). "Andrew Broad will not contest next election following dating website scandal". ABC News.
  14. ↑ "Nationals MP Broad quitting to save face". www.news.com.au. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  15. ↑ Dalzell, Stephanie (4 January 2019). "Andrew Broad says he made 'dumb mistake' using 'sugar baby' website in Hong Kong". ABC News. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
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