Katherine Margaret Ellis (born 22 September 1977) is an Australian former politician, who represented the Division of Adelaide in the Australian House of Representatives for the Australian Labor Party from 2004 until 2019. She served in multiple portfolios in the outer ministry of the 2007–2013 federal Labor government and was in the shadow cabinet after that. In March 2017 Ellis announced that she would step down from shadow cabinet as of the next reshuffle and leave parliament at the 2019 federal election.[1][2]
Kate Ellis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Adelaide | |
| In office 9 October 2004 – 11 April 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Trish Worth |
| Succeeded by | Steve Georganas |
| Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth | |
| In office 1 July 2013 – 18 September 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd |
| Preceded by | Peter Garrett |
| Succeeded by | Sussan Ley |
| In office 3 December 2007 – 28 June 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard |
| Preceded by | Position Recreated |
| Succeeded by | Peter Garrett |
| Minister for Employment Participation | |
| In office 14 December 2011 – 18 September 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Julia Gillard Kevin Rudd |
| Preceded by | Mark Arbib |
| Succeeded by | Luke Hartsuyker |
| Minister for the Status of Women | |
| In office 15 September 2010 – 14 December 2011 | |
| Prime Minister | Julia Gillard |
| Preceded by | Tanya Plibersek |
| Succeeded by | Julie Collins |
| Minister for Sport | |
| In office 3 December 2007 – 24 June 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard |
| Preceded by | George Brandis |
| Succeeded by | Mark Arbib |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Katherine Margaret Ellis 22 September 1977 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Early life and career
editEllis was born in Melbourne and grew up in rural South Australia in the Murray River town of Mannum where her mother worked as a teacher at the local primary school. Ellis moved to Adelaide for her secondary education, attending Daws Road High School. She enrolled but left without completing a Bachelor of International Studies at Flinders University.[3] While enrolled at Flinders she was General Secretary of the Students Association and an editor of Empire Times. A member of the Australian Labor Party, she worked as a research officer for state and federal parliamentarians. Ellis is linked with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA). She was a ministerial adviser to South Australian state minister Rory McEwen and then for the former Deputy Premier of South Australia, Kevin Foley.[4][5][6][7]
Political career
editEllis was elected to the House of Representatives for the Division of Adelaide, South Australia at the 2004 federal election, defeating Liberal Party incumbent Trish Worth on a 2 percent two-party swing to a margin of 1.3 points, increasing to 8.5 points in 2007. The margin was reduced to 7.7 points in 2010 and to 4.0 percent in 2013.
After the 2007 election Ellis became Minister for Youth and Minister for Sport. This made her the youngest person to become an Australian government minister, a record until then held by former Prime Minister Paul Keating.[8] In 2009 Ellis took on the portfolio of Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth. After the 2010 election, Ellis became the Minister for Employment Participation and Early Childhood and Childcare and the Minister for the Status of Women.[9] For a few months prior to the 2013 Labor government defeat, Ellis was the Minister for Early Childhood, Childcare and Youth. Ellis was then elevated to shadow cabinet with the portfolios of Education and Early Childhood.[4]
In 2012 Ellis voted in support of a same-sex marriage bill.[10] She supported the Safe School Coalition Australia program in 2016.[11]
Personal life
editOn 23 February 2013, Ellis married News Limited journalist David Penberthy, then the editor-in-chief of news.com.au and a columnist for several News Limited publications and previously the editor of Sydney's Daily Telegraph.[12][13] Ellis gave birth to her first child in April 2015 and a second in July 2017.[14][15] Ellis supports the Adelaide Football Club and was named as a club ambassador in 2009.[16][17] In 2011, she joined tennis star Lleyton Hewitt as the club's number-one ticket holder, becoming the first woman so honoured.[18] She is also a Club Ambassador for the SANFL team the Glenelg Tigers.[19]
Ellis's public image has been the subject of media attention since her entry into public life. In October 2008, she was voted Parliament's "sexiest" MP in a poll of federal MPs conducted by The Courier-Mail newspaper.[20] In April 2010, she modelled a Karen Millen dress and Gucci high-heels for Grazia magazine.[21] She agreed to do the shoot to raise awareness of the pressures on women related to body image, and to encourage fashion magazines to promote healthy attitudes toward weight and eating.[22]
On 9 March 2017, Ellis announced that she would step down from shadow cabinet as of the next reshuffle, and leave parliament at the 2019 federal election in order to spend more time with her young family.[1][2] A week later, it was announced that she was in the early stages of her second pregnancy,[23] and her second son was born in July 2017.[24]
In April 2021, her book, Sex, Lies and Question Time, was published by Hardie Grant.[25]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Kate Ellis, Labor frontbencher, to quit politics at next federal election". ABC News. Australia. 9 March 2017. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ a b corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Current Shadow Ministry List". www.aph.gov.au. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Panelist: Kate Ellis". ABC. Archived from the original on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ a b "Hon Kate Ellis MP". Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- ^ "Kate Ellis". www.alp.org.au. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ^ "Kate Ellis: Hawker Britton" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ^ Schneiders, Royce Millar, Ben (1 May 2015). "Why is the union that represents supermarket workers stopping gay marriage?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Nicholson, Brendan (30 November 2007). "Rudd and the Sisters Ministry". The Age. Melbourne. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2008.
- ^ "The Gillard ministry". Melbourne: The Age. 11 September 2010. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
- ^ "Lower House votes down same-sex marriage bill". ABC News. Australia. 19 September 2012. Archived from the original on 6 August 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ^ "Kate Ellis: We need to send LGBTI students a message of unwavering support". Daily Life. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- ^ "Federal Childcare Minister Kate Ellis and News Limited editor David Penberthy engaged to marry". Adelaide Now. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
- ^ Sobolewski, Helene (24 February 2013). "Federal Child Care Minister Kate Ellis marries Sunday Mail editor David Penberthy". The Advertiser. Adelaide. Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ^ "Adelaide MP Kate Ellis and Advertiser columnist David Penberthy welcome baby boy". The Advertiser. 10 April 2015.
- ^ Langenberg, Adam (22 July 2017). "MP Kate Ellis and columnist David Penberthy welcome second son". The Advertiser. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "2009 Season Guide out now". Adelaide Football Club. 29 March 2009. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
- ^ "About Kate". Kate Ellis. Archived from the original on 2 September 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
- ^ "Kate Ellis joins Crows". Adelaide Football Club (Press release). 28 March 2011. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
- ^ "Club Ambassadors". Glenelg Football Club. n.d. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
- ^ Lewis, Steve (31 October 2008). "Kate Ellis voted Australia's sexiest politician". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
- ^ "Kate Ellis: 'I'm horrified by how we see ourselves'". Grazia. No. 85 (Australian ed.). 19 April 2010. pp. 20–21. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ^ Harvey, Claire (4 April 2010). "Ellis digs her high heels in". The Sunday Telegraph. p. 28. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
- ^ Peatling, Stephanie (15 March 2017). "Kate Ellis pregnant with her second child". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 11 February 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
- ^ Langenberg, Adam (22 July 2017). "MP Kate Ellis and columnist David Penberthy welcome second son". The Advertiser. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Ellis, Kate (29 March 2021), Sex lies and question time, Hardie Grant Books (published 2021), ISBN 978-1-74379-639-9
External links
edit- KateEllis.com.au Official website
- Parliamentary Profile: Labor website
- Search or browse Hansard for Kate Ellis (politician) at OpenAustralia.org