26 Facts About Lynne Kosky

Lynne Janice Kosky was an Australian politician and senior minister in the Government of Victoria.

Lynne Kosky represented the electoral district of Altona in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Labor Party from 1996 to 2010 and held key ministerial posts from 1999 through to her retirement from politics, including the key education and public transport portfolios.

Lynne Kosky attracted record funding for public transport, particularly during the settling of the Victorian Transport Plan, and built a strong record of legislative reform in her ministerial posts.

On 18 January 2010, Lynne Kosky announced her intention to resign from Parliament immediately, citing "significant health problems in her family".

Contact with Joan Kirner, a female parliamentarian, inspired Lynne Kosky to join the Labor Party in 1985, and work as a government policy advisor and a year later she was elected to the City of Footscray council, becoming Mayor in 1988.

Lynne Kosky was a member of the Board of the Footscray Football Club, where she became Number 1 Woman Ticketholder.

In 1993, while pregnant with her first child Hana, Lynne Kosky ran for the preselection for the State Parliamentary seat of Altona, a safe Labor seat in Melbourne's western suburbs.

Lynne Kosky was defeated by Carole Marple, but was preselected and elected in 1996.

Lynne Kosky took on the Finance portfolio in 2000, and was a member of the Cabinet Expenditure Review Committee responsible for budget oversight.

Lynne Kosky was appointed Minister for Education and Training in February 2002, and shortly afterward implemented what she considers one of her greatest achievements: the introduction of the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning, a "hands-on" alternative to the Victorian Certificate of Education.

Lynne Kosky outlined her general approach to education in a speech in February 2006:.

Lynne Kosky led an extensive legislative review during her period as Minister for Education and Training and released a discussion paper on 11 February 2005 on a review of 15 separate statutes governing Victoria's education and training system.

Lynne Kosky made the following observations in her speech to Parliament:.

Lynne Kosky came under fire in April 2007 when an email was leaked to the media in which she asked her parliamentary colleagues not to forward on complaints from their constituents about Melbourne's public transport system.

Lynne Kosky defended the correspondence on ABC Radio, denying she was shirking responsibility as the public transport minister, and that the directive had been intended to hasten communication and reduce response times for transport complaints.

In 2008, Lynne Kosky played a key role in the development of the Victorian Transport Plan and secured the most extensive funding for transport in Victoria for many years.

In December 2008, Lynne Kosky introduced the Bus Safety Bill to increase the safety of Victoria's bus industry.

In January 2009 Lynne Kosky was heavily criticised for her performance as the Minister for Public Transport.

Lynne Kosky refused, the Labor Party rejected the calls for her resignation and acting Premier Rob Hulls said that Lynne Kosky had been doing a good job.

Lynne Kosky introduced the Transport Integration Bill into the Victorian Parliament on 10 December 2009 after leading the State's Transport Legislation Review.

Lynne Kosky introduced a tailored compensation scheme in 2007 for train drivers traumatised by deaths on the rail system due to suicides and other causes.

Lynne Kosky abolished an under performing graduated penalties scheme and halved fines for minors for fare evasion and misconduct offences due to the unfairness of parity with adult fines.

In January 2010, Lynne Kosky resigned from the ministry and parliament due to health issues within her family.

On 4 December 2014, Lynne Kosky died from the disease in Melbourne, aged 56.

Lynne Kosky was posthumously inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2015.

Lynne Kosky was accorded a State funeral at Williamstown Town Hall, Melbourne on 12 December 2014, which was attended by the Premier of Victoria; the official representative of the Governor of Victoria; the Federal Leader of the Opposition; former premiers; current and former ministers; and political, educational and cultural figures from across Australia.