John Anderson – Political Leader
John Anderson is a farmer who later became the Deputy Prime Minister in Australia, a role and rank similar to the US Vice President. He was part of a reformist government under the Howard Administration (a Liberal – National Coalition) that has been Australia’s longest standing government of our time.
Since the mid-1800s, John’s family was farming and grazing sheep in Australia, and making a good living. But John was encouraged to be the first from his family to get a college degree. At the University of Sydney, John tried to study law but ended up intrigued by studying history. He says, “I’m one of those people who believes that you learn all you need to know about statecraft by studying history.” But the political scene did not come under John’s radar until after he graduated and went back to farming with his dad. Back at home, John realized the rural city divide between the Nationals, a party he represented, and the rest of the country. So at the age of 32 years old, John ran for Member of Parliament, similar to a seat in the US Congress, and was elected to represent Gwydir, one of the smallest districts in the country.
John opens up about his political journey of dealing with public scrutiny and the politics in politics. He also talks about the challenges of reviewing the national budget and the challenging time Australia went through during the 9/11 era. Finally, John opens up about a personal tragedy, one he calls a “freakish experience where they have been the innocent cause of somebody else’s death.” It caused him to lose his childhood and grapple with life’s toughest questions, but it also defined his faith and the type of leader he would become.
After John retired from politics in 2005, he went back to farming and retreated into family life. But recently, John started a new venture where he invites prominent leaders in a discourse on values that define Western culture and faith in an effort to encourage open debate and better decision on public policy.
Special thanks for this episode: John Anderson, Alec Bennetts, Deb Sugars, Nathan Ng, Andrew Doust, Caroline DeJersey
If you like what you’ve heard about John Anderson, below are a few more opportunities to get to know him more:
John Anderson’s website: www.johnanderson.net.au (access to watch or listen to “Conversations with John Anderson”)
John Anderson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnAndersonAO
John Anderson’s biography Faith & Duty: https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Duty-John-Anderson-Story/dp/1741665647
About John Anderson’s new venture: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/second-coming-john-andersons-new-venture/news-story/2221a61a7329912c005b3dcdffdebb6f
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Faith Collides podcast is hosted by Grace Huang from Lux Mundi. More information: www.lxmundi.com