John Kennedy (Australian politician)
John Ormond Kennedy is an Australian politician and member of the Australian Labor Party. He was elected as member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in November 2018, representing the seat of Hawthorn.
John Ormond Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Hawthorn | |
| Assumed office 24 November 2018 | |
| Preceded by | John Pesutto |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Ormond Kennedy 1947/1948 (age 73–74) Sydney |
| Political party | Labor Party |
| Residence(s) | Hawthorn, Melbourne |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney, University of Melbourne |
| Occupation | Teacher, Principal |
| Website | www |
Kennedy succeeded incumbent Liberal MP John Pesutto in November 2018. He is only the second Labor member ever to win this traditional blue-ribbon Liberal seat, and the first in 63 years.
Kennedy worked as a teacher before entering politics, and served as the founding principal of Loyola College for nearly thirty years (1979-2008).[1] He stood in the 2013 federal election for the blue-ribbon Liberal seat of Kooyong, losing to Liberal incumbent Josh Frydenberg.
Kennedy is a member of ABC Friends (previously Friends of the ABC),The Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Inc, Labor for Refugees, and Labor for a Republic and a monthly contributor to Médecins Sans Frontières and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. He is not a member of one of Labor’s factions.
Kennedy has stated that his top policy priorities are education and public transport.[2]
Career
Kennedy holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney, Bachelor of Education from the University of Melbourne, Bachelor of Theology from the United Faculty of Theology of the Melbourne College of Divinity and a Master of Educational Leadership from Australian Catholic University.
Kennedy began his career as a teacher at St. Ignatius College from 1969 to 1975 while working as Assistant Housemaster at Sydney Church of England Grammar School from 1970 to 1975. From 1976 to 1979 he resided at St Mary's College (Melbourne University) in the part-time position as Dean of Studies while also serving as Deputy Principal of St. Columba's College.
Kennedy graduated from the Sydney University Squadron as a Pilot Officer in 1970 and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in RAAF Active Reserve in 1978.
Kennedy served as the founding Principal of Loyola College, working at the school from 1979 to 2008.
Kennedy worked as a consultant for non-profit organisations, including work in leadership, governance and management in the education sector before being elected to Victorian Parliament in November 2018.
Personal life
Kennedy was born in Sydney in 1947, attended Loreto Kirribilli in 1953–55 and St Aloysius College in 1956–65 and moved to Melbourne in 1976.
Kennedy lives in the eastern suburb of Hawthorn with his wife Bronwyn Lane, and has two children and one grandchild.
At the time of his 2018 election victory, Kennedy resided in a retirement village and did not have a smartphone.[3] Kennedy commutes on public transport, as he has never obtained his drivers’ licence.[4][5][6]
In December 2021, Kennedy suffered a heart attack while walking with his wife on a Sydney holiday. After being assisted by a doctor and off-duty police officer who happened to be walking past at the time, Kennedy spent six days in hospital. He returned to work on January 24.[7]
References
- Green, Antony (2018). "Hawthorn". Victorian State Election 2018. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- "Meet the retired school principal who seized blue-ribbon Liberal seat Hawthorn".
- Minear, Tom. "Tom Minear: Josh Frydenberg facing important battle in Kooyong". Herald Sun. NewsCorp. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
- Preiss, Benjamin (5 December 2018). "Meet the retired school principal who seized blue-ribbon Liberal seat Hawthorn". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- Williams, Edwina (24 October 2018). "Hawthorn – Labor: John Kennedy". The Junction. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- "At 73, I have never driven a car. So as you can imagine, I know a thing or two about public transport. I was delighted to speak in support of the Transport Legislation Amendment Bill 2020, one which enhances a very good public transport system in Victoria". Facebook. John Kennedy MP. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
- Brook, Stephen; Hutchinson, Samantha. "MP to keep on running (for election) after heart attack 'wake-up call'". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 13 March 2022.