| The Hon Kerry Hickey MP |
|
|---|---|
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Cessnock |
|
| In office 27 March 1999 – 26 March 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Stan Neilly |
| Succeeded by | Clayton Barr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kerry Arthur Hickey 6 April 1960 |
| Nationality | Australia |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Occupation | Metal fabricator, milk vendor |
Kerry Arthur Hickey (born 6 April 1960), a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Cessnock between 1999 and 2011 for the Australian Labor Party.[1]
Prior to entering politics, Hickey was a metal fabricator prior to 1982 and subsequently he was a milk vendor. In 1981 he was elected as a Councillor of the City of Cessnock.[1]
He was Minister for Mineral Resources from April 2003 to August 2005, and was Minister for Local Government between 2005 and 2007.[1]
On 7 November 2006, he admitted to having been fined four times in recent years for speeding:[2]
The Premier, Morris Iemma resisted calls to sack him as result. He was quoted as saying:
In an interview with the Newcastle Herald, published on 10 July 2010, Hickey claimed that he was not the father of a child born in February 2009 to an unnamed parliamentary staff member.[3] A month later, on further questioning by the media, Hickey admitted that he had lied about his relationship with the parliamentary staff member and admitted that the 18-month old child was his. In a dramatic day of lying about his relationship, Hickey initially decided to resign, but after speaking with the Premier Kristina Keneally, he issued a statement stating that he would be seeking re-election.[4] Hickey's initial claims were made in order to protect the mother's career and his family.[5]
Under mounting political and personal pressure, on 6 September 2010 Hickey announced his decision to not seek re-election at the 2011 state election, citing personal reasons.[6]
| Parliament of New South Wales | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Stan Neilly |
Member for Cessnock 1999 – 2011 |
Succeeded by Clayton Barr |