Ros Kelly

The Honourable Ros Kelly AO
Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women
In office 23 December 1993 – 1 March 1994
Prime Minister	Paul Keating
Preceded by	Wendy Fatin
Succeeded by	Carmen Lawrence
Minister for the Environment, Sport and Territories
In office 4 April 1990 – 1 March 1994
Prime Minister	Bob Hawke Paul Keating
Preceded by	Graham Richardson
Succeeded by	Graham Richardson
Minister for Tourism
In office 4 April 1990 – 27 December 1991
Prime Minister	Bob Hawke Paul Keating
Preceded by	Graham Richardson
Succeeded by	Alan Griffiths
Minister for the Arts
In office 4 April 1990 – 24 March 1993
Prime Minister	Bob Hawke Paul Keating
Preceded by	Graham Richardson
Succeeded by	Bob McMullan
Minister for Telecommunications and Aviation Support
In office 6 April 1989 – 4 April 1990
Prime Minister	Bob Hawke
Preceded by	Gary Punch
Succeeded by	Title abolished
Minister for Defence Science and Personnel
In office 18 September 1987 – 6 April 1989
Prime Minister	Bob Hawke
Preceded by	New title
Succeeded by	David Simmons
Member of the Australian Parliament for Canberra
In office 18 October 1980 – 30 January 1995
Preceded by	John Haslem
Succeeded by	Brendan Smyth
Personal details
Born	Roslyn Joan Raw (1948-01-25) 25 January 1948
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Alma mater	University of Sydney
Occupation	Teacher

Roslyn Joan Kelly AO (née Raw; born 25 January 1948) was a member of the Australian House of Representatives for 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.

She is the daughter of Michael and Patricia Raw. 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. 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. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980.

In 1983, Ros Kelly was the first Australian Federal MP to give birth while in office. In 1987, she became the first female Labor minister from the House of Representatives, when she was appointed Minister for Defence Science and Personnel. 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.

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. She resigned from the ministry on 28 February 1994 and from parliament 11 months later on 30 January 1995. The resulting by-election on 25 March 1995 saw the loss of the Canberra electorate to the opposition Liberal Party.

Since leaving politics, Kelly has worked as an environmental management executive and as a director of a number of non-profit organisations. She is currently chair of the board of trustees for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

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.

She is married to David Morgan, the former CEO of Westpac. She was formerly married to journalist Paul Kelly, whose surname she has retained.

External links

• Caricature by John Henry Spooner
• Would it help if I ditched the whiteboard? cartoon by Geoff Pryor