Neil Andrew
John Neil Andrew (born 7 June 1944), Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1983, representing the Division of Wakefield, South Australia. He was born in Waikerie, South Australia, and was a horticulturalist before entering politics.
After 15 years as a little-known Liberal backbencher, Andrew was elected Speaker of the House after the October 1998 elections. He has been a generally well respected speaker, although some MPs regard his interventions during debates as heavy handed and his remarks from the chair as sometimes pompous.
Andrew presided over the House during the special sitting in May 2001 to mark the centenary of the Parliament of Australia, which met in the Exhibition Building, Melbourne, as did the first Parliament in 1901. Following a redistribution which made his electorate unwinnable, Andrew announced that he will retire from politics at the 2004 elections.
