Early Life and Political Campaigns
Sowada was born in Sydney to Swiss and English immigrant parents. She went to Bronte Public School and Randwick North High School and started her working life as a strapper in the thoroughbred horse racing industry. Sowada briefly worked as an insurance broker before commencing a degree in archaeology at the University of Sydney in 1985, specialised in classical and near Eastern topics.
In 1982, Sowada joined the Australian Democrats. She stood for public office the following year at the age of 21, when she was selected as the Democrat candidate for the House of Representatives seat of Phillip at the 1983 election, polling 2.8% of the vote. She was again the Democrat candidate when then Prime Minister Bob Hawke called a double dissolution election in 1984, and improved her vote, gaining 5.5%. Sowada made a final bid for the seat at the 1987 election. The Democrats were polling well federally at the time, and her campaign received some media attention, resulting in her polling 6.8% of the vote, which gained her some attention within the party in advance of her 1990 Senate bid.
Read more about this topic: Karin Sowada
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