Honorific-Prefix: | The Honourable |
Ros Kelly | |
Honorific-Suffix: | AO |
Office: | Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women |
Term Start: | 23 December 1993 |
Term End: | 1 March 1994 |
Primeminister: | Paul Keating |
Predecessor: | Wendy Fatin |
Successor: | Carmen Lawrence |
Office1: | Minister for the Environment, Sport and Territories |
Term Start1: | 4 April 1990 |
Term End1: | 1 March 1994 |
Primeminister1: | Bob Hawke Paul Keating |
Predecessor1: | Graham Richardson |
Successor1: | Graham Richardson |
Office2: | Minister for Tourism |
Term Start2: | 4 April 1990 |
Term End2: | 27 December 1991 |
Primeminister2: | Bob Hawke Paul Keating |
Predecessor2: | Graham Richardson |
Successor2: | Alan Griffiths |
Office3: | Minister for the Arts |
Term Start3: | 4 April 1990 |
Term End3: | 24 March 1993 |
Primeminister3: | Bob Hawke Paul Keating |
Predecessor3: | Graham Richardson |
Successor3: | Bob McMullan |
Office4: | Minister for Telecommunications and Aviation Support |
Term Start4: | 6 April 1989 |
Term End4: | 4 April 1990 |
Primeminister4: | Bob Hawke |
Predecessor4: | Gary Punch |
Successor4: | Title abolished |
Office5: | Minister for Defence Science and Personnel |
Term Start5: | 18 September 1987 |
Term End5: | 6 April 1989 |
Primeminister5: | Bob Hawke |
Predecessor5: | New title |
Successor5: | David Simmons |
Constituency Mp6: | Canberra |
Parliament6: | Australian |
Predecessor6: | John Haslem |
Successor6: | Brendan Smyth |
Term Start6: | 18 October 1980 |
Term End6: | 30 January 1995 |
Birth Date: | 1948 1, df=yes |
Nationality: | Australian |
Party: | Labor |
Birthname: | Roslyn Joan Raw |
Alma Mater: | University of Sydney |
Occupation: | Teacher |
Roslyn Joan Kelly AO (née Raw; born 25 January 1948) is an Australian former politician. She was a 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.
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.
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]
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]