Lynne Kosky

The Hon. Lynne Janice Kosky MP (born September 2 1958) is an Australian politician, and a senior minister in the Parliament of Victoria. She has represented the electoral district of Altona for the Australian Labor Party since 1996.

Before politics

Born in Melbourne with a twin brother Mark, Kosky was educated at Footscray High School, and graduated from the University of Melbourne in 1980 with a Bachelor of Social Work. In her final year of studies, she had a placement at Sunshine High School, where she met her future husband, teacher Jim Williamson. After a few months of unemployment, she got a job as a social worker at the Victorian Department of Education, but finding she was not suited to counselling, became a community education officer. Contact with Joan Kirner, a female parliamentarian, inspired Kosky to join the Australian 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. She was also a member of the Board of the Footscray Football Club (now known as the Western Bulldogs), of which she is currently the Number 1 Woman Ticketholder. In 1993, while pregnant with her first child Hana, Kosky ran for the state parliament seat of Altona, a safe Labor seat in Melbourne's western suburbs.Bradley, Seamus: [http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/08/07/1028157956844.html Lynne Kosky's class action] , "The Age", August 7 2002.]

Parliamentary career

With the ALP in opposition during her early years as an MP, Kosky believed she would get the prized education portfolio in a February 1999 shadow cabinet reshuffle, but ALP leader John Brumby awarded it to Mary Delahunty instead, with Kosky assigned to the junior education role of employment, tertiary education and training. When the ALP, now led by Steve Bracks, defeated Jeff Kennett's Liberal government in the 1999 state election, Kosky was awarded the equivalent ministry as Minister for Post Compulsory Education, Training and Employment. She also took on the Finance portfolio in 2000, and was a member of the Cabinet Expenditure Review Committee responsible for budget oversight. [ [http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0133b.htm Kosky, Lynne (1958 - )] , Australian Women.]

Minister for Education and Training

Kosky was appointed Minister for Education and Training in February 2002, and shortly afterward implemented what she considers one of her greatest achievements [ [http://www.lynnekosky.com/biog.htm Lynne Kosky MP. Brief Personal History.] .] : the introduction of the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), a "hands-on" alternative to the Victorian Certificate of Education.

Following the return of the Bracks government in the 2006 election, it was rumoured amongst the Victorian ALP factions that Kosky would be promoted to Deputy Premier. Steve Bracks denied the rumour, saying his deputy would continue to be John Thwaites. [Whinnett, Ellen: [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20825418-5008560,00.html New faces for Cabinet] , "Herald Sun", November 27 2006.] Instead, Kosky was appointed Minister for Public Transport and the Arts. [ [http://www.doi.vic.gov.au/DOI/Internet/Home.nsf/AllDocs/9CB571867AD10A79CA25723B000F8157?OpenDocument Minister for Public Transport] , Victorian Department of Infrastructure.]

Minister for Public Transport and the Arts

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. She 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. [Holroyd, Jane: [http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/kosky-email-misunderstood/2007/04/12/1175971224632.html?page=fullpage Kosky email 'misunderstood'] , "The Age", April 12 2007.]

In December 2007, she defended the delayed implementation of the myki smartcard ticketing system for Melbourne's public transport, stating it was a complicated system and it was "important to get it right". [ [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/19/2122360.htm New ticketing system running one year behind] , Australian Broadcasting Corporation, December 19 2007.]

References

External links

* [http://www.lynnekosky.com Personal web site of Lynne Kosky]