Ali France
Ali France | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Dickson | |
| Assumed office 3 May 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Dutton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Allison Anne Lawlor 13 May 1973 Durban, Natal, South Africa |
| Political party | Labor |
| Parent |
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Allison Anne "Ali" France (pron. /ˈeɪliː/ "AYY-lee";[1] née Lawlor; born 13 May 1973)[2] is an Australian politician who has served as the member for Dickson in the House of Representatives since 2025 as a member of the Labor Party (ALP).[3][4]
France previously contested her seat in 2019 and 2022, both times losing to the Liberal Party's Peter Dutton.[5] She unseated Peter Dutton, the then Leader of the Opposition, on her third attempt in the 2025 Australian federal election, becoming the first Labor MP from Dickson since Cheryl Kernot lost the seat to Dutton in 2001.[6] She became the first challenger to defeat a sitting Opposition Leader in their own seat.
Early life and education
[edit]France is the daughter of Peter Lawlor,[5] former MP for Southport in the Queensland Legislative Assembly. She was born in Durban, South Africa and educated on the Gold Coast, Toowoomba and Canberra.[2] She is an alumni of the University of Southern Queensland where she studied Journalism and Politics.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]Prior to entering politics, France was a journalist at The Courier-Mail,[7] as well as in Hong Kong, and worked as communications manager for indigenous production company Carbon Media in Brisbane.[2] She is also a former para-athlete and a disability advocate. A disability rights advocate who campaigned for France, Elly Desmarchelier, has been quoted as stating that "All policy is disability policy"[8]
In 2016, France represented Australia in paracanoeing, winning two team gold medals and a silver at the Outrigger Canoe World Sprint Championships.[9][10]
France has been a critic of offshore detention,[11] noting that the surgeon who inserted her titanium rod prosthetic leg was a former Iraqi refugee who came to Australia by boat.[11] She ran as the Labor candidate for the seat of Dickson in 2019 and 2022, losing both times to Peter Dutton, who was first elected as the MP for Dickson in 2001.[5] She faced Dutton, then Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition, for a third time at the 2025 Australian federal election, this time defeating him on a swing of 7.7 percent after all preferences were distributed; she needed a swing of only 1.8 percent to take the seat off Dutton.[12][13] France is the third challenger since Federation to defeat a major-party leader in their own seat,[14] and the first to unseat an Opposition Leader.[5]
Personal life
[edit]France and her ex-husband Clive had two sons.[11] The two separated in 2017 and divorce was finalised in 2019. Clive was plagued by health issues for almost a decade and died of cancer in 2023.[9]
In 2011, France and her younger son were at a shopping centre when an elderly man lost control of his car and ran into them. While she pushed her son, who was at the time in his pram out of the way, she was seriously injured and as a result had her leg amputated.[5][11]
In 2024, her eldest son died of leukaemia.[5] France faced some criticism on social media for talking about her grief and loss during the election campaign. She responded by saying, "Politics is personal, actually ... my whole life is the reason I got into politics. I will never stop talking about him and I don't care whether it causes people to feel discomfort."[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Secretary HillsChamber (18 April 2019). "Federal Election 2019 | Meet the Candidates – Ali France – Intro". YouTube. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ a b c Hurst, Daniel (13 May 2011). "'She's his world': MP spends daughter's birthday at hospital bedside". WA Today. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ "Dickson (Key Seat) Federal Election 2025 Results". ABC News. Archived from the original on 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ Crowley, Tom. "Labor on track to form government, competitive in at least 12 Liberal seats including Dutton's". ABC News. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Messenger, Andrew (3 May 2025). "Who is Ali France, the Labor candidate who has unseated Peter Dutton in Dickson?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ McIlwraith, Phoebe (3 May 2025). "Meet Ali France, the woman who flipped Peter Dutton's seat of Dickson red". SBS News.
- ^ "MP Peter Lawlor daughter's has leg amputated after being crushed by car at Ashgrove carpark".
She is a married mother of two boys and a former journalist at The Courier-Mail.
- ^ Campanella, Nas; Lloyd, Mary (11 May 2025). "Ali France's election isn't just a boon for Labor — it's big for the disability community too". ABC News. Archived from the original on 12 May 2025. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ a b c Lawrence, Elissa (1 February 2025). "Ali France on losing son Henry to leukaemia, his final weeks and navigating grief". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ O'Neill, Brent (25 May 2016). "Pair team up and overcome challenges to win outrigger world sprint titles". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ a b c d Shields, Bevan (8 February 2019). "Meet Ali France, the woman out to slay Peter Dutton at the election". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
- ^ Pal, Alasdair (3 May 2025). "Australia opposition leader Dutton loses seat in shock vote defeat". Reuters. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ Dickson, Qld, 2025 Tally Room, Australian Electoral Commission.
- ^ Green, Antony (20 February 2021). "The Gurgle Hole of History – Leaders who've lost their Seats at Elections". Antony Green's Election Blog. Archived from the original on 6 February 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2025.