Ros Kelly

Roslyn Joan Kelly AO (née Raw; born 25 January 1948) is a former member of the Australian House of Representatives, having represented the Division of Canberra from 18 October 1980 to 30 January 1995. She was a minister in the governments of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating.


Ros Kelly

Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women
In office
23 December 1993  1 March 1994
Prime MinisterPaul Keating
Preceded byWendy Fatin
Succeeded byCarmen Lawrence
Minister for the Environment, Sport and Territories
In office
4 April 1990  1 March 1994
Prime MinisterBob Hawke
Paul Keating
Preceded byGraham Richardson
Succeeded byGraham Richardson
Minister for Tourism
In office
4 April 1990  27 December 1991
Prime MinisterBob Hawke
Paul Keating
Preceded byGraham Richardson
Succeeded byAlan Griffiths
Minister for the Arts
In office
4 April 1990  24 March 1993
Prime MinisterBob Hawke
Paul Keating
Preceded byGraham Richardson
Succeeded byBob McMullan
Minister for Telecommunications and Aviation Support
In office
6 April 1989  4 April 1990
Prime MinisterBob Hawke
Preceded byGary Punch
Succeeded byTitle abolished
Minister for Defence Science and Personnel
In office
18 September 1987  6 April 1989
Prime MinisterBob Hawke
Preceded byNew title
Succeeded byDavid Simmons
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Canberra
In office
18 October 1980  30 January 1995
Preceded byJohn Haslem
Succeeded byBrendan Smyth
Personal details
Born
Roslyn Joan Raw

(1948-01-25) 25 January 1948
NationalityAustralian
Political partyLabor
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
OccupationTeacher

Early life and ACT politics

Kelly is the daughter of Michael and Patricia Raw.[1] She studied at the University of Sydney and received a degree in teaching in 1968 and worked as a secondary school teacher from 1969 until 1974.[2] Kelly was elected to the then advisory Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly as a member for Canberra in 1974. She was a member of the assembly until 1979.

Federal politics

Kelly was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980. In 1983, she was the first Australian Federal MP to give birth while in office.[2] In 1987, she became the first female Labor minister from the House of Representatives, when she was appointed Minister for Defence Science and Personnel.[2] She subsequently held the portfolios of Communications and Aviation Support 1988–90; Arts, Sport, Environment, Tourism and Territories 1991–93; Environment, Sport and Territories 1993–94; and Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories 1994–95. She also served as Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women until 1994.[2]

She suffered considerable embarrassment as a result of the so-called 'sports rorts affair', when she revealed that funding for sporting bodies was arranged on the basis of a group discussion around a "great big whiteboard" in her office.[3] She resigned from the ministry on 28 February 1994 and from parliament 11 months later on 30 January 1995.[4] The resulting by-election on 25 March 1995 saw the loss of the Canberra electorate to the opposition Liberal Party.[4]

Later life

Since leaving politics, Kelly has worked as an environmental management executive and as a director of a number of non-profit organisations. She is currently chair of the board of trustees for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Personal life and honours

Kelly is married to David Morgan, the former CEO of Westpac.[5] She was formerly married to journalist Paul Kelly, whose surname she has retained.

Kelly was made an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia in 2004 for service to the community through promoting corporate environmental responsibility and fostering dialogue between business and conservation groups, to the Australian Parliament, and to women's health.[6]

When acting as minister of Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories, Kelly gave support to research at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area and was honoured for this in the naming of a new species Priscileo roskellyae in 1997.[7]

References

  1. Who's Who in Australia 2008; Kelly Hon (Ros) entry
  2. "Kelly, Roslyn Joan (Ros) (1948 – )". The Australian Women's Register. 29 January 2009.
  3. Robert Milliken (1 March 1994). "Close Keating ally resigns in grants scandal". London: The Independent.
  4. "Canberra (ACT) By-Election (25 March 1995)". AEC. 1 February 2008.
  5. Andrew Hornery (9 March 2005). "Rose among the Thorns". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  6. Emma MacDonald (26 January 2004). "Ros Kelly excels in life after politics". The Canberra Times.
  7. Gillespie, A. (1997). "Priscileo roskellyae sp. nov. (Thylacoleonidae, Marsupialia) from the Oligocene-Miocene of Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 41: 321–327.
Political offices
New title Minister for Defence Science and Personnel
1987–89
Succeeded by
David Simmons
Preceded by
Gary Punch
Minister for Telecommunications and Aviation Support
1989–90
Title abolished
Preceded by
Graham Richardson
Minister for Arts, Sport, the Environment,
(Tourism) and Territories

1990–93
Succeeded by
Graham Richardson
Minister for the Environment,
Sport and Territories

1993–94
Preceded by
Wendy Fatin
Minister assisting the Prime Minister
for the Status of Women

1993–94
Succeeded by
Carmen Lawrence
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
John Haslem
Member for Canberra
1980–95
Succeeded by
Brendan Smyth
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