Talk:Kristina Keneally

Worth mentioning?

• Opposed embryonic stem cell research and has voted to block it in New South Wales.

I've removed this because I don't think that it had much play in the electorate, or that Kristina's part in it was quite as significant as in the other issues. If I'm wrong, we should explain. Politicians vote for and against lots of things all the time. Regards, Ben Aveling 10:54, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Off topic

I've removed the following not because it is or isn't true, but because it is off topic. It's worth a mention, but that's all. Regards, Ben Aveling 22:19, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Faced strong opposition from the community about her support of the NSW government's proposal to expand Port Botany by creating a 60 ha third terminal by dredging 7.5 million cubic metres of Botany Bay seabed that will have a major impact on the Bay's ecology and surrounding environment. The Iemma Government approved the expansion and has decided to make it twice the size of that recommended by the Independent Commission of Enquiry (COI) which recommended a maximum 30-35 ha expansion.

The Iemma Government's decision to concentrate the bulk of NSW's container trade at Port Botany will see a tripling of containers being processed, and although there are plans to double the current percentage of containers being transported by freight rail from 20% to 40%, there will still be a 200% increase in container trucks on Sydney's roads.

Due to the lack of appropriate road and rail infrastructure to support the current levels of containers being transported, the decision to expand Port Botany and concentrate all the container processing through Sydney is going to have a long-term detrimental impact on traffic congestion. These extra 3000 container trucks per day will be spewing out carcinogenic fine diesel particles across Sydney. Port Botany is a sleeping giant that will eventually strangle Sydney's already choking roads and the Iemma Government's decision to expand Port Botany follows on the back of the controversial infrastructure developments including the Cross City Tunnel, the Sydney Airport to Central rail link, the totally inadequate M5 to name a few.

Botany Beach (aka Foreshore Beach), Which is enjoyed by a wide range of people from all over Sydney, including families, anglers, sail board riders, jet skiers etc. and which is one of the very few Sydney beaches where dogs are allowed, was to remain a sandy public beach as part of the port expansion, however, that NSW government has changed the design after the approval and now plans to build a rock seawall along 80% of the beach making it unusable. Taking a beach away is considered totally un-Australian!

Botany Bay is seen as the birthplace of European Australia where Captain Cook and the first Fleet arrived. Unfortunately, after 200 years, competing interests by government and industry has seen the Bay treated as a toilet. Now the Iemma Government is planning to develop a desalination plant where the salt from the desalination will be discharged into the Bay and the water pipes will be running across the bay and through a number of Sydney suburbs.

Suggestion

Would be good to have references/links for the other 'important local issues'. Ben Aveling 22:29, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Gosh, you're not the same Ben Aveling who's the ALP Alexandria branch secretary, are you? Gosh, that would be embarrassing, what with you removing stuff that isn't particularly complementary about Mrs Keneally. But i'm sure you're not relation at all. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.241.126.39 (talk) 07:46, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Yes, I am the same Ben Aveling. I assume you are referring to this edit? That was a tough call. On the one hand, yes I am an involved party. On the other, the edit I reverted was inappropriate, arguably vandalism, and it had to be reverted by someone. I opted to be bold. Do you think I did wrong? Cheers, Ben Aveling 12:31, 7 September 2008 (UTC)

Stem cell research vote

Wikipedia frequently lists how politicians have voted. In particular, the stem cell research vote was contentious (that it "didn't get much play" in her electorate is irrelevant, since it was not a local issue but one that effected the entire state) and influenced by her religious beliefs. It's certainly an important thing to have on her wiki page. The desal stuff is total opinion, however, perfectly reasonable thing to dump.Janeinhouse (talk) 02:24, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

It's certainly something she feels very strongly about - but we'd have to find some citable sources talking about her influence on the vote. That is, we need to demonstrate that her influence was significant when compared to the other MPs who also spoke and voted for or against the issue. I suspect she would have spoken on the subject, which would be in Hansard. The tricky bit is demonstrating that her stance made a difference. Cheers, Ben Aveling 07:43, 8 September 2008 (UTC)

No, its not necessary to debate whether her vote made a difference - its only necessary to cite the fact that she voted against it and its important to do so as it shows her position on an issue of important social significance.

Bravado760 (talk) 23:10, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Correction

Thomas Keneally has 2 daughters, so he cannot be Kristina's father-in-law. In fact, she is married not to his non-existent son, but to his nephew Ben. Citation attached.

A note on procedure

Premiers are not elected by their party. The party with a majority elects a leader who is invited by the Governor to form a government. 121.45.218.12 (talk) 09:21, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

A few sources

She is MUCH better looking than REES!
Kristina Keneally becomes first female premier of NSW
Kristina Keneally set to take Premier's job --220.101.28.25 (talk) 09:44, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

"Born in the United States She emigrated to Australia in 1994 and they married in 1996. She became a naturalised Australian in 2000, the same year she joined the ALP."

keneally-takes-over-as-premier
I hope she doesn't have a strong American accent! (Sorry American friends)
--220.101.28.25 (talk) 10:00, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Katrina Keneally is Catholic feminist with American twang Nooooooo!(Just kidding!)
--220.101.28.25 (talk) 10:15, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Getting nasty now! Keneally nothing but a puppet: O'Farrell 21:53 AEST 3 December 2009/ Accessed 22:05 AEST 3 December 2009 --220.101.28.25 (talk) 11:11, 3 December 2009 (UTC)

Is her teenage basketball coach's daughter's identity all that important?

"As a teenage basketballer at the Academy she was coached by Marty Holmes, father of actress Katie Holmes." True, but also just a tad trivial? Any objections to removing it? MurfleMan (talk) 01:45, 4 December 2009 (UTC)

I would generally say no because it probably does not meet the WP:Notability guidelines to be included, which is requirement on wikipedia. Good Question!

Australian mother?

I'm not getting a clear picture here. According to this article ("Labor's least likely"), she met her husband Ben in Poland, when he noticed the opal she was wearing and commented that 90% of the world's opals are found in Australia, to which she replied "I know, my mother was born there". So far, so good.

But later on, there's a brief family background. Her grandmother, Patricia, a barmaid from Brisbane, fell for George Powell, an American GI during WW2, and went back to the US with him to live. There's no mention of where their daughter (KKK's mother, Cathy) was born, but she "lived all over the US on air force bases" before marrying John Kerscher. I suppose Cathy must have been born in Australia and was taken to the US at a very early age. This would make her an Australian citizen by birth, but just calling her "an Australian mother" seems to suggest someone who was brought up in Australia and just happened to marry an American. Ideas for better wording?

Another possibility is that she said "My grandmother was born there" and it got mistranslated as "mother". -- JackofOz (talk)

In her maiden speech Keneally said "My grandparents had a daughter, my mother Catherine, while they lived in Brisbane. She, in turn, grew up and married an American serviceman, my father John." WWGB (talk) 04:21, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

Oh, OK. So her mother was born in Brisbane. But she became American (at least by adoption, and possibly formally through her father) at a very young age. I'd prefer we call her mother "Australian-born", rather than simply "Australian". -- JackofOz (talk) 06:27, 6 December 2009 (UTC)