De-Anne Margaret Kelly (née Park; born 21 March 1954) is an Australian former politician. Kelly was a National Party member of the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of ...

from March 1996 until November 2007, representing the Division of Dawson,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

. She was the first female member of the National Party to win a seat in the House of Representatives.

Personal life

Kelly was born in Rockhampton, Queensland to parents Ian Park and Margaret Park (née Bauman). Kelly's uncle was Kerrod Park, who was known for his involvement with

local government in Queensland Local government in the Australian state of Queensland describes the institutions and processes by which towns and districts can manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by the ''Local Government Act 1993–2007''. Queensland is div ...

, having served as the

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

Duaringa Shire Council The Shire of Duaringa was a local government area in the Capricornia region of Queensland, Australia. Duaringa Shire covered an area of 18,201 square kilometres and had a population of 6,744 according to the . On 15 March 2008 the shires of D ...

from 1973 to 1994. Kelly grew up on a cattle property where she obtained her primary education from her mother who taught her at the kitchen table. She then attended high school in Rockhampton and after winning a scholarship to study electrical engineering, Kelly attended the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

. After graduating, Kelly worked as an engineer before she bought a small manufacturing business with her husband. Seven years later, she and her husband purchased a cattle property near Dingo where they lived in a shed with their infant son. In 2004, she and her husband owned and operated a sugar cane farm at Mirani, near Mackay.

Parliamentary career

In her first parliamentary speech, Kelly paid tribute to her late father Ian Park who she commended for having a "girls can do anything" attitude. She also said she owed her character and convictions to her father. In her speech, Kelly also said she drew inspiration from Lady Florence Bjelke-Petersen who had taught her some "valuable lessons". Kelly was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade between October 2003 and October 2004, at which time she was appointed Minister for Veterans' Affairs. She gained the additional position of Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence in November 2004, but was demoted to Parliamentary Secretary (Trade) in January 2006. Kelly served in this position until September 2006, when she was reappointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services. At the 2007 general election, Kelly was unseated by

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

candidate and

City of Mackay The City of Mackay was a local government area located in the Central Queensland region of Queensland, Australia, encompassing the regional city of Mackay and the surrounding region. The City was created as a municipal borough in 1869, and pr ...

councillor James Bidgood. Kelly went into the election sitting on a majority of over 10 percent. However, as part of the Labor wave that swept through Queensland in that election, Bidgood defeated her on a swing of more than 13 per cent. Kelly's defeat came as a surprise to most commentators; due to her large majority, there was no hint she was in any danger.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, De-Anne 1954 births Living people National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Dawson Members of the Australian House of Representatives People from Rockhampton Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Women government ministers of Australia 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian women politicians