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Joining this Reddit AMA is Cheryl Kernot, a former leader of the Australian Democrats and former Labor Member for Dickson. She represented Queensland in the Senate from 1990 to 1997 and led the Democrats for four of those years. Before entering Parliament, Cheryl was a teacher and became involved in politics partly because she wanted more women’s voices in public decisions.
As Democrats leader, Cheryl negotiated with governments when her party held influence in the Senate. Her parliamentary work included compulsory superannuation, native title, carers’ leave and workplace protections. She also argued for stronger parliamentary scrutiny of government decisions. Those years gave her a close view of how a smaller party can shape legislation and how negotiation works when no party can simply assume the Senate’s support.
In 1997, Cheryl made the widely discussed decision to leave the Democrats and join Labor. She won the Queensland seat of Dickson at the 1998 federal election and served in Labor’s shadow ministry, with responsibilities that included regional development, infrastructure, transport, employment and training. She lost Dickson at the 2001 election and later wrote about her experience moving between the two parties.
After Parliament, Cheryl worked in social entrepreneurship education in the United Kingdom and at the Centre for Social Impact at UNSW. She brings to this AMA experience spanning minor-party leadership, major-party politics and work beyond elected office. Readers can ask her about those transitions, the role of the Senate, women in politics and what she learned about achieving change inside and outside Parliament.
Craig Hill is a Brisbane-based author, journalist, teacher, business consultant and social justice campaigner. He is the General Manager of the Australian Book and Language Studio.
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