John Madigan returns to the tradesman's life after six years in the senate

Brendan Wrigley
Updated October 22 2016 - 10:39am, first published 10:32am
BACK IN THE SHED: John Madigan hard at work.  Picture: Dylan Burns.
BACK IN THE SHED: John Madigan hard at work. Picture: Dylan Burns.

“Instead of doing them all by hand I'm making a press so I can knock them out quicker,” Hepburn blacksmith John Madigan says as he hammers away at pieces of metal, fashioning a device to make hooks to hang sheep.  Conversation is regularly interrupted by the sound of welders and angle grinders, as the 50-year-old’s attention flickers between the task at hand and the state of the nation.  Upon meeting Madigan it’s clear he’s a long way from the archetype politician; indeed, he’s one of the few tradesmen to have held a seat in modern parliament.  Yet just three months ago, the humble figure was a key cog in Australia’s most contentious senate crossbench.   

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Brendan Wrigley

Brendan Wrigley

Journalist

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