Kristina Kerscher Keneally

Brief description

Full description

Kristina Keneally was born in the United States of America, the child of an Australian mother and an American father. Ms Keneally grew up in the United States and moved permanently to Sydney in 1994. (1)

Ms Keneally was educated at Notre Dame Academy, Toledo, Ohio and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Political Science (1991) and a Master of Arts (Hons) in Religious Studies (1995) from the University of Dayton, Ohio and Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She also studied at Australian Catholic University, Strathfield, NSW. She has published academic and other articles on her area of speciality, feminist theology. She has also worked as the NSW Youth Coordinator for the Society of St Vincent de Paul and taught at a Catholic school in a 'teacher shortage area' in rural New Mexico. (2)

Ms Keneally became a naturalised Australian in 2000. She joined the Australian Labor Party (ALP) in 2000, being active in its Eastlakes branch. Ms Keneally was first elected in 2003, as Member for Heffron, serving that electorate from 22 March 2003 until 29 June 2012. (3)

Ms Keneally served as a member of the Legislative Assembly Standing Ethics Committee from 8 May 2003 to 1 December 2003. When that committee was abolished following the commencement of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Amendment (Ethics Committee) Act 2003 (Act No.73, 2003) she served as a member of the Standing Committee on Parliamentary Privilege and Ethics which replaced the former committee. She also was a member of the Committee on the Independent Commission Against Corruption from 8 May 2003 to 2 March 2007. She served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee from 12 October 2005 to 2 March 2007 and as a member of the Joint Select Committee on the Cross City Tunnel from 7 June 2006 to 23 August 2006. She later served as a member of the Joint Select Committee on the Parliamentary Budget Office from 23 June 2011 to 2 December 2011. (4)

Ms Keneally served as Minister for both Ageing and Disability Services from 2 April 2007 to 5 September 2008. She served as Minister for Planning from 8 September 2008 until 4 December 2009, also becoming Minister for Infrastructure from 17 November 2009 to 4 December 2009. She served as Minister for Redfern Waterloo from 8 September 2008 to 28 March 2011.  (5)

While Minister for Planning, Ms Keneally was the NSW Government's Spokesperson for World Youth Day 2008. (6)

Kristina Keneally was elected by the ALP caucus on 3 December 2009 to replace Nathan Rees as leader of the parliamentary party. Kristina Keneally served as the 42nd Premier of New South Wales, in the 93rd Ministry, and was the first woman Premier in the state from 4 December 2009 to 28 March 2011. (7)

From 2012 to April 2014 Ms Keneally was the Chief Executive Officer of Basketball Australia. (8)

Ms Keneally married her husband, Ben Keneally, in 1996. She is mother to three children: two sons and one daughter, who was stillborn. Kristina serves as Patron of The Stillbirth Foundation, promoting awareness, understanding, support and research into stillbirth. (9)

 Endnotes
1. Parliament of NSW website, Former Members, "The Hon. Kristina Keneally (1968- )" http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/members.nsf/1fb6ebed995667c2ca256ea100825164/5e484d096c7002ceca256cfa00125119?OpenDocument (cited 23 July 2014) and The Hon. Kristina Keneally MP - Biography (document downloadable from webpage).
2. Ibid.; "Keneally, Kristina Kerscher (1968- ), The Australian Women's Register http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE1867b.htm (cited 25 July 2014).
3. Loc cit. note 2.
4. Loc. cit. note 1.
5. Ibid.
6. Loc. cit. note 2. 
7. Ibid.
8. Who's Who in Australia 2014, 50th ed., p.1271; David Dale, "Kristina Keneally resigns as Basketball Australia CEO," Sydney Morning Herald, 30 April 2014 http://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/kristina-keneally-resigns-as-basketball-australia-ceo-20140430-zr1m7.html (cited 25 July 2014).
9. Loc. cit. note 1.

Notes