Ali France

Ali France

MP
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Dickson
Assumed office
3 May 2025 (2025-05-03)
Preceded byPeter Dutton
Personal details
Born
Allison Anne Lawlor

(1973-05-13) 13 May 1973 (age 53)
Durban, South Africa
Political partyLabor
FatherPeter Lawlor

Allison Anne France (née Lawlor; born 13 May 1973) is an Australian politician. She has been serving as the member of parliament (MP) for the Queensland division of Dickson since 2025. She is a member of the Labor Party.

France previously ran to represent this division in 2019 and 2022. She lost to the Liberal Party's Peter Dutton both times. She defeated Dutton, the then Leader of the Opposition, on her third attempt in the 2025 Australian federal election. This made her the first Labor MP from Dickson since Cheryl Kernot lost to Dutton in 2001.

Early life and education

France is the daughter of Peter Lawlor, a former Labor MP. She was born in Durban, South Africa, and educated on the Gold Coast, Toowoomba and Canberra.

Career

Before she started being a politician, France was a journalist at the Courier Mail and in Hong Kong. She worked as the communications manager for the indigenous production company Carbon Media in Brisbane. She is also a para-athlete and an advocate for people with disabilities. In 2016, she represented Australia in paracanoeing, winning two team gold medals and a silver medal at the Outrigger Canoe World Sprint Championships.

France has criticized offshore detention. France ran as the Australian Labor Party candidate for the seat of Dickson in 2019 and 2022. She lost both times to Peter Dutton, who was first elected as the MP for Dickson in 2001. At the 2025 Australian federal election, she defeated Dutton, the then Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition, and became an MP. France was the first person in Australian history to defeat a Leader of the Opposition at an election.

Personal life

France and her husband Clive had two sons. They divorced in 2019, and he died from cancer in 2023. In 2011, France and her younger son were at a shopping centre when they were hit by a car. She pushed her son out of the way but was badly hurt. Her leg needed to be amputated because of it. In 2024, her older son died from leukaemia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hurst, Daniel (13 May 2011). "'She's his world': MP spends daughter's birthday at hospital bedside". WA Today. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  2. ↑ "Dickson (Key Seat) Federal Election 2025 Results". ABC News. Archived from the original on 3 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  3. ↑ Crowley, Tom. "Labor on track to form government, competitive in at least 12 Liberal seats including Dutton's". ABC News. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Messenger, Andrew (3 May 2025). "Who is Ali France, the Labor candidate who has unseated Peter Dutton in Dickson?". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  5. ↑ McIlwraith, Phoebe (3 May 2025). "Meet Ali France, the woman who flipped Peter Dutton's seat of Dickson red". SBS News.
  6. ↑ "MP Peter Lawlor daughter's has leg amputated after being crushed by car at Ashgrove carpark".}
  7. 1 2 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.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. 1 2 3 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.