‘Do the important stuff’: The conversation that drove Labor MP Ali France to a historic election win
When her son Henry faced a leukaemia battle, Labor’s Ali France decided against having another crack at the north Brisbane seat of Dickson.
However, Henry wasn’t having it.
“At the time I was like ‘I won’t be running in this seat, I will be with you’ and he was just so angry about that,” Ms France told ABC’s Radio National on Monday.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“He kept saying to me ‘do not make me the excuse for you not doing important stuff’ - that stayed with me.”
Henry died at the age of 19 in 2024.
However, he remained an inspiration as Ms France faced what at times seemed insurmountable odds.
In 2018, she was told Dickson was “unwinnable” for Labor until Liberal heavyweight Peter Dutton retired.
Yet on her third attempt, Ms France emerged victorious to become one of the stories of the 2025 federal election.
The former journalist made history, ending Mr Dutton’s 24-year reign by becoming the first person ever to unseat a federal opposition leader.
“Every day I am struggling to keep that connection alive. I miss him so deeply,” Ms France said of Henry.
“But doing this, something we were both really passionate about ... this is the important stuff.
“I hope he is proud that I got through it, and that we are here today and we have succeeded.”
Ms France overcame a major obstacle before launching her political career.
She was seriously injured saving another son, Zac, from an out-of-control vehicle in a shopping centre car park in 2011 and had a leg amputated.
During her seven-year campaign to topple Mr Dutton, the father of her children died of cancer in 2023.
Then came Henry’s leukaemia battle.
“I said to him, ‘that’s it, I am going to be by your side’,” Ms France said of Henry.
“I thought it would be a few years of us in the hospital and me just being with him all the time - sadly, we didn’t get that opportunity.”
Ms France was flanked by family as she became the toast of Labor following her stunning Dickson triumph.
Henry was also by her side, it seemed.
“Every day there have been parts of this campaign where I have felt emotional and sad - I am still struggling with the grief of it,” Ms France said of Henry.
“But every time it has been hard, I have just thought about his journey, about how courageous and brave he was in the face of just insurmountable pain and hardship.
“He will be with me every day as I go through this new part of my life.”
