Kerry Anne Chikarovski (née Bartels; 4 April 1956) is a former Australian politician who served as leader of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and Leader of the Opposition between 1998 and 2002, the first woman to hold the post.

Early life and career

Chikarovski was born in Sydney to Jill and former Willoughby Mayor Greg Bartels AM. In 1964, her father took up a post working at the United Nations headquarters in New York, and she, along with her mother and three sisters, also moved, living there for the next five years. It was while living in New York that Chikarovski had a brief encounter with

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...

, which would influence her decision to go into politics years later. Upon returning to Sydney, Chikarovski finished her schooling at

Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College , motto_translation = Religion, Knowledge, Culture , established = , type = Independent single-sex secondary day school , educational_authority = New South Wales Department of Education , gender = Girls , denomination = Roman Catholicism ...

, in North Sydney. She completed a combined economics and law degree at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

. While at University she joined the Economics Society, followed by the Law Society, where she was eventually elected as its first female president. She was also elected to the Board of the

University of Sydney Union The University of Sydney Union (USU), established in 1874, is the student-run services and amenities provider at the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia. The USU's key services include the provision of food and beverages, retail outlets ...

. While at University, Chikarovski met her future husband, Kris Chikarovski, and they married in 1979. Following a brief career in private practice, she went on to lecture part-time at the College of Law before entering parliament.

Political career

Following the resignation of incumbent John Dowd, Chikarovski won pre-selection for the safe Liberal seat of Lane Cove in 1991, her primary competition for which was then MLC John Hannaford. In 1992, she was appointed Minister for Consumer Affairs and Assistant Minister for Education (3 July 1992 – 26 May 1993). During her time as Minister, Kerry facilitated national agreement to the Introduction of a Uniform Credit Code. In 1993, she became Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment and established the department responsible for the Minister for The Status of Women (29 May 1993 – 4 April 1995). With her dual responsibilities of Industrial Relations and Women, Kerry oversaw the development and introduction of flexible working conditions for the public sector and the implementation of mentoring programs to encourage women to seek careers at the highest level of the NSW public service. Chikarovski replaced

Bruce Baird Bruce George Baird, AM (born 28 February 1942), is a former Australian politician whose career included a stint as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in New South Wales. Early life Baird was born in Sydney, and was educated at the University ...

as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in December 1994 and held that post until the Liberal Party was defeated in 1995.

Leader of the Opposition

On 8 December 1998, she replaced Peter Collins as leader, and also held the position of Shadow Minister for the Arts, Ethnic Affairs and Women. In 1999 she lost the state election to Labor Premier

Bob Carr Robert John Carr (born 28 September 1947) is an Australian retired politician and journalist who served as the 39th Premier of New South Wales from 1995 to 2005, as the leader of the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He later en ...

in a landslide. In 2002, John Brogden, a member of her shadow cabinet, announced a challenge to her leadership. Despite the endorsement of Prime Minister

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

– himself a Sydney-sider – Chikarovski lost the leadership to Brogden by one vote. At the March 2003 election, Chikarovski retired from parliament.

Post political career

Following her resignation from Parliament in 2003, in 2004 she launched her co-authored autobiography, ''Chika''. She is a passionate advocate for women in sport and is previous Trustee of the

Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust The Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust (popularly known as the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust or SCG Trust) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales that operated the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, New So ...

. Chikarovski was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Order (distinction), honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarchy of Australia, Queen of Aus ...

for "significant service to the Parliament of New South Wales, and to the community" in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Directorships

Chikarovski also serves as a director on a number of sporting, government and not for profit boards: *Adopt Change *Our Watch * New South Wales Rugby Union *Humpty Dumpty Foundation She is the Chair of Road Safety Education. Chikarovski is an Ambassador of the

Australian Indigenous Education Foundation The Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) is a non-profit organisation which provides scholarships to the Indigenous students in Australia. History The Australian Indigenous Education Foundation was established in 2008 by Andrew ...

and advisor to the Taronga Group.

References

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Chikarovski, Kerry 1956 births Living people Leaders of the Opposition in New South Wales Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Members of the Order of Australia 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians Women members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly People educated at Monte Sant'Angelo Mercy College __FORCETOC__