Kelly O'Dwyer | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations | |
| In office 24 August 2018 – 11 April 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Michaelia Cash |
| Succeeded by | Christian Porter(Industrial Relations) Michaelia Cash(Jobs) |
| Minister for Women | |
| In office 20 December 2017 – 11 April 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Michaelia Cash |
| Succeeded by | Marise Payne |
| Minister for Revenue and Financial Services | |
| In office 19 July 2016 – 24 August 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Herself (as Assistant Treasurer) |
| Succeeded by | Stuart Robert (as Assistant Treasurer) |
| Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service | |
| In office 20 December 2017 – 24 August 2018 | |
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Michaelia Cash |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Minister for Small Business | |
| In office 21 September 2015 – 19 July 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Bruce Billson |
| Succeeded by | Michael McCormack |
| Assistant Treasurer | |
| In office 21 September 2015 – 19 July 2016 | |
| Prime Minister | Malcolm Turnbull |
| Preceded by | Josh Frydenberg |
| Succeeded by | Herself (as Minister for Revenue and Financial Services) |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forHiggins | |
| In office 5 December 2009 – 11 April 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Costello |
| Succeeded by | Katie Allen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kelly Megan O'Dwyer (1977-03-31)31 March 1977 (age 48) |
| Party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Jon Mant |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Website | Official website |
Kelly Megan O'Dwyer (born 31 March 1977) is a former Australian politician. She served in theHouse of Representatives from 2009 to 2019, representing theLiberal Party, and held senior ministerial office from 2015 to 2019.
O'Dwyer was a solicitor, political adviser, andNational Australia Bank (NAB) executive before entering politics. She was elected to parliament at the2009 Higgins by-election, aged 31, replacingPeter Costello.[1] In 2014, she was made aparliamentary secretary in theAbbott government. O'Dwyer was promoted tocabinet whenMalcolm Turnbull became prime minister in 2015. She served asMinister for Small Business (2015–2016),Assistant Treasurer (2015–2016),Minister for Revenue and Financial Services (2016–2018), andMinister for Women (2017–2019). In 2017, she became the first Australian cabinet minister to give birth while in office. O'Dwyer ended her political career asMinister for Jobs and Industrial Relations in theMorrison government,[2] retiring prior to the2019 federal election.[3]
O'Dwyer was born inBox Hill and was educated atPresbyterian Ladies' College and theUniversity of Melbourne, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts andBachelor of Laws.[4] After working as a solicitor forFreehills inMelbourne,[4] O'Dwyer spent four years as a senior advisor toPeter Costello,[5] then the member for the federal division ofHiggins and theFederal Treasurer, later becoming an executive at theNational Australia Bank.[6]
_(cropped_O%2527Dwyer).jpg)
Costello decided in 2009 not to seek another term of office at the next federal election.[7] On 17 September 2009, O'Dwyer was pre-selected to stand as the Liberal Party candidate for Higgins at the next election.[8] Peter Costello then announced his resignation from Parliament in October 2009.[9] He stated that he chose to retire ahead of the next federal election as a contribution to renewal of the Liberal Party and that O'Dwyer would contribute to this process.[10] A by-election was held on 5 December 2009. O'Dwyer was considered a "shoo-in",[11] especially since theLabor Party did not contest the seat.
In winning preselection, O'Dwyer became the first woman to win Liberal Party preselection for asafe seat in metropolitan Melbourne.[12] During the preselection process federal Liberal politiciansSophie Mirabella,Fran Bailey andHelen Coonan claimed that there had been a sexist campaign against O'Dwyer's candidacy, with some preselectors being told that a "leadership seat" such as Higgins was unsuited to a woman and that being elected to a federal seat might endanger her marriage.[13][14]
At the 2016 federal election, O'Dwyer was re-elected with a two-candidate preferred vote of 57.99% (a swing against her of 2%) and a 52.5% primary vote (a swing against her of 2.4%).[15][16]
AGreens-fundedLonergan seat-level opinion poll conducted from a sample of 1,100 voters in Higgins took place a month out from the2016 election on 3−4 June. It suggested the Liberal primary vote may have decreased substantially. However, the poll proved inaccurate, with O'Dwyer winning comfortably.[17]
O'Dwyer had been serving asParliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer in theAbbott government from December 2014, until theleadership spill of the Liberal Party occurred in September 2015. Malcolm Turnbull won the spill and was sworn in as Prime Minister on 15 September 2015. Turnbull introduced an overhaul of the cabinet, which saw O'Dwyer appointed to Cabinet asMinister for Small Business andAssistant Treasurer in theFirst Turnbull Ministry.[18][19] Following the re-election of theTurnbull government in2016, the O'Dwyer was appointed as the Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, a name change.[20] O'Dwyer was assigned two additional responsibilities, as the Minister for Women and the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service, in December 2017.[21] Following the commencement of the Morrison government, O'Dwyer became the Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, in addition to her ongoing role as Minister for Women.[2]
In 2018, O'Dwyer was listed as one ofBBC's 100 Women.[22]
On 19 January 2019, O'Dwyer announced that she would not be contesting theupcoming election as her two children would be approaching primary school age and she wanted to give her and her husband the best opportunity for a third child.[3]
O’Dwyer is married to Jon Mant, a business executive, and has two sisters and one brother.[23][24] Her daughter was born in 2015.[25][26]
In 2017, O'Dwyer gave birth to her second child, making her the first Cabinet Minister to give birth while in office.[22]
In April 2022, O'Dwyer joinedBarrenjoey Capital Partners as a non-executive director.[27]
| Parliament of Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member for Higgins 2009–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations 2018–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister for Revenue and Financial Services 2015–2018 | Succeeded byas Assistant Treasurer |
| Preceded by | Minister for Women 2017–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service 2017–2019 | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Minister for Small Business 2015–2016 | Succeeded by |
Prime Minister:Tony Abbott | ||
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| Dismissed/resigned | ||
Prime Minister:Malcolm Turnbull | ||
| Cabinet |  | |
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| Dismissed/resigned/lost seat | ||
Prime Minister:Malcolm Turnbull | ||
| Cabinet | | |
| Outer Ministry | ||
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| Resigned | ||
Prime Minister:Scott Morrison | ||
| Cabinet |
|  |
| Outer Ministry | ||
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| Resigned | ||
