18 Facts About Kelly O'Dwyer

Kelly Megan O'Dwyer was born on 31 March 1977 and is a former Australian politician.

Kelly O'Dwyer served in the House of Representatives from 2009 to 2019, representing the Liberal Party, and held senior ministerial office from 2015 to 2019.

Kelly O'Dwyer was elected to parliament at the 2009 Higgins by-election, aged 31, replacing Peter Costello.

Kelly O'Dwyer was promoted to cabinet when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister in 2015.

Kelly O'Dwyer served as Minister for Small Business, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, and Minister for Women.

Kelly O'Dwyer ended her political career as Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations in the Morrison government, retiring prior to the 2019 federal election.

Kelly O'Dwyer was born in Box Hill and was educated at Presbyterian Ladies' College and the University of Melbourne, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws.

On 17 September 2009, Kelly O'Dwyer was pre-selected to stand as the Liberal Party candidate for Higgins at the next election.

Kelly O'Dwyer stated that he chose to retire ahead of the next federal election as a contribution to renewal of the Liberal Party and that O'Dwyer would contribute to this process.

Kelly O'Dwyer was considered a "shoo-in", especially since the Labor Party did not contest the seat.

In winning preselection, Kelly O'Dwyer became the first woman to win Liberal Party preselection for a safe seat in metropolitan Melbourne.

Kelly O'Dwyer had been serving as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer in the Abbott government from December 2014, until the leadership spill of the Liberal Party occurred in September 2015.

Turnbull introduced an overhaul of the cabinet, which saw Kelly O'Dwyer appointed to Cabinet as Minister for Small Business and Assistant Treasurer in the First Turnbull Ministry.

Kelly O'Dwyer was assigned two additional responsibilities, as the Minister for Women and the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service, in December 2017.

In 2018 Kelly O'Dwyer was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.

On 19 January 2019, Kelly O'Dwyer announced that she would not be contesting the upcoming election as her two children would be approaching primary school age and she wanted to give her and her husband the best opportunity for a third child.

Kelly O'Dwyer is married to Jon Mant, a business executive, and has two sisters and one brother.

In 2017, Kelly O'Dwyer gave birth to her second child, making her the first Cabinet Minister to give birth while in office.