Kay Patterson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Senator The Honourable  Kay Christine Lesley Patterson  BA (Hons) (Syd), PhD DipEd (Monash)
Minister for Family and Community Services
In office 7 October 2003 – 27 January 2006
Preceded by	Amanda Vanstone
Succeeded by	Mal Brough
Minister for Health & Ageing
In office 26 November 2001 – 7 October 2003
Preceded by	Michael Wooldridge
Succeeded by	Tony Abbott
Senator for Victoria
In office 1 July 1987 – 1 July 2008
Born	21 November 1944 (1944-11-21) (age 63) Sydney, New South Wales
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Occupation	Academic

Kay Christine Lesley Patterson (born November 21, 1944) has been a Liberal member of the Australian Senate since 1987, representing the state of Victoria.

Patterson was born in Sydney, New South Wales, and was educated at the University of Sydney and Monash University. She studied psychology and education, going on to become a university lecturer, working in several universities in both Australia and in the United States.

In 1985, Patterson was elected as her local party branch delegate to the Liberal Party's State Council, and the following year, rose to become its Vice President. She was rewarded in 1987, when she was pre-selected for a Liberal Senate seat, becoming a senator for the state of Victoria at the 1987 election.

Patterson was promoted to the shadow ministry in 1990 as a parliamentary secretary. Over the next few years, she occupied a number of portfolios in relation to health, aged care and social policy. She was promoted again (Shadow Minister for Senior Citizens and Aged Care and Shadow Minister Assisting the Leader on Women’s Affairs and the Arts) under the leadership of John Hewson, but found herself demoted again under Alexander Downer.

The Liberal Party was returned to power at the 1996 election under John Howard, and Patterson was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs in the new government. In 2000, she moved to the position of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The following year, Patterson led the Australian delegation to the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa.

At the 2001 election, the then Health and Aged Care Minister Michael Wooldridge retired, and Senator Patterson was appointed as his replacement, with the new portfolio title of Health and Ageing. She was well received by the Australian Medical Association, who had had a strained relationship with her predecessor.

However, during 2003 and 2004, health began to emerge as a serious political issue for the Liberal Party in the leadup to the 2004 election. Prime Minister Howard attempted to make a series of reforms to Medicare, and Patterson found herself under attack from Australian Labor Party Shadow Health Minister, Julia Gillard. She was replaced as Health Minister by Tony Abbott, and appointed to the lesser portfolio of Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women.

Patterson remains highly involved with the Girl Guides movement, having been a member of their State Council since 1974 (with the exception of a two-year break between 1991 and 1993). She is a monarchist.

On 22 January 2006, Patterson announced her resignation from the ministry, and her commission ceased on 27 January. She also announced that she would retire from Parliament when her term expires on 30 June 2008.

Political offices
Preceded by Michael Wooldridge	Minister for Health and Ageing 2001 – 2003	Succeeded by Tony Abbott
Preceded by Amanda Vanstone	Minister for Family and Community Services 2003 – 2006	Succeeded by Mal Brough
Preceded by Amanda Vanstone	Minister assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women/ Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women's Issues 2003 – 2006	Succeeded by Julie Bishop

[edit] References

• Kay Patterson, Senate Biography
• Patterson resigns

[edit] External links

• Official site

v • d • e Current members of the Australian Senate NSW George Campbell (ALP) • Helen Coonan (Lib) • John Faulkner (ALP) • Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (Lib) • Michael Forshaw (ALP) • Bill Heffernan (Lib) • Steve Hutchins (ALP) • Sandy Macdonald (Nat) • Fiona Nash (Nat) • Kerry Nettle (Grn) • Marise Payne (Lib) • Ursula Stephens (ALP) QLD Andrew Bartlett (Dem) • Ron Boswell (Nat) • Sue Boyce (Lib) • George Brandis (Lib) • John Hogg (ALP) • Barnaby Joyce (Nat) • Joe Ludwig (ALP) • Ian Macdonald (Lib) • Jan McLucas (ALP) • Brett Mason (Lib) • Claire Moore (ALP) • Russell Trood (Lib) SA Cory Bernardi (Lib) • Simon Birmingham (Lib) • Grant Chapman (Lib) • Alan Ferguson (Lib) • Mary Jo Fisher (Lib) • Annette Hurley (ALP) • Linda Kirk (ALP) • Anne McEwen (ALP) • Nick Minchin (Lib) • Natasha Stott-Despoja (Dem) • Penny Wong (ALP) • Dana Wortley (ALP) Tas Eric Abetz (Lib) • Guy Barnett (Lib) • Bob Brown (Grn) • Carol Brown (ALP) • David Bushby (Lib) • Richard Colbeck (Lib) • Christine Milne (Grn) • Kerry O'Brien (ALP) • Stephen Parry (Lib) • Helen Polley (ALP) • Nick Sherry (ALP) • John Watson (Lib) Vic Lyn Allison (Dem) • Kim Carr (ALP) • Jacinta Collins (ALP) • Steve Conroy (ALP) • Steve Fielding (FFP) • Mitch Fifield (Lib) • Rod Kemp (Lib) • Julian McGauran (Lib) • Gavin Marshall (ALP) • Kay Patterson (Lib) • Michael Ronaldson (Lib) • Judith Troeth (Lib) WA Judith Adams (Lib) • Mark Bishop (ALP) • Mathias Cormann (Lib) • Alan Eggleston (Lib) • Chris Ellison (Lib) • Chris Evans (ALP) • David Johnston (Lib) • Ross Lightfoot (Lib) • Andrew Murray (Dem) • Rachel Siewert (Grn) • Glenn Sterle (ALP) • Ruth Webber (ALP) Territories ACT Gary Humphries (Lib) • Kate Lundy (ALP) NT Trish Crossin (ALP) • Nigel Scullion (CLP) Labor (ALP) • Democrat (Dem) • Family First (FFP) • Greens (Grn) • Liberal (Lib) • Country Liberal (CLP) • National (Nat)

Persondata
NAME	Patterson, Kay Christine Lesley
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH	November 21, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
DATE OF DEATH	Living
PLACE OF DEATH