First it was Midnight Oil’s Peter Garrett that put his political chutzpah where his musical mouth is, now another Australian rock vocalist is taking their turn at tackling politics.
The Herald Sun reports that Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson is hoping to become an MP in parliament and to get there, he’s joined the National Party and is seeking preselection for the Liberal-held seat of Gilmore, located on the southern NSW coast.
Anderson has been endorsed to run for the position by the NSW Party, including Senator John Williams, who encouraged Anderson to try for the Gilmore seat, which has been held by the current incumbent – Liberal figure Bruce Scott – since 1990.
Angry Anderson, real name Gary, says that he was encouraged to make the move into politics by Peter Garrett, the former Midnight Oil frontman – now Federal Minister for School Education.
“I said, ‘You’ll be in there shakin’ and makin’ and breakin’,” Anderson told Sky News “and I will be the bloke on the outside chucking the stones on the roof to get attention.” Anderson adds that he never saw himself as a politician, but “the more I thought about it I thought, ‘well, he’s (Garrett) right; the best way to change things is to get in and get amongst it.”
The 65-year-old singer has already made a name for himself as a staunch anti-carbon tax activist and has also spoken strongly of policies in supporting disadvantaged children, which has previously won him the Order of Australia Medal.
Another issue close to Anderson is in immigration regulation, in fact, he’s set to appear in the new series of the runaway SBS television show, Go Back To Where You Came From, in which contestants are taken on a 25-day journey emulating what it’s like to be in the shoes of a refugee.
Speaking to Classic Rock, Anderson says that his move into politics is simply the next step in his career as a community worker and political activist. “You can reach a stage like I have where you’ve done as much as you can in your profession, in my case, music. A political career becomes an extension of the community work I’m doing,” says the Rose Tattoo frontman.
The move to the Nationals, a well-known right-wing party, has some questioning the rock singer’s own commitments, “I’m a lapsed Labor supporter,. I have over the last 10 to 15 years drifted towards the conservative side of politics. I like the Nationals as a party,” he added “– I like their morals and they have a strong Christian component.”
“[I’m] not going to say things in public that are going to embarrass the party” says Anderson. “If, between the party and I, we can agree, I feel I can best serve the people on the national stage. I’ve always liked big stages.”
As for his run for preselection in the NSW seat of Gilmore, Rose has already told press he is “definitely” interested in putting his name forward, and is expected to hear from “high-ranking Nationals” about a proposition in the next week, if he wins the seat, it puts him in a position to move towards becoming a Member for Parliament.
In related news, Rose Tattoo are working on a new studio album, their first since 2007’s Blood Brothers, with Anderson saying it will be the “last word” from the band, so that he can focus on his political ambitions.
