Background
She was born Roslyn Joan Raw, the daughter of Michael and Patricia Raw.
politician Member of the Australian House of Representatives
She was born Roslyn Joan Raw, the daughter of Michael and Patricia Raw.
She studied at the University of Sydney and received a degree in teaching in 1968 and worked as a secondary school teacher from 1969 until 1974.
She was a minister in the governments of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. Kelly was elected to the then advisory Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly in 1974. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980.
In 1983, Ros Kelly was the first Australian Federal MP to give birth while in office. In 1987, she became the first female Labor minister from the House of Representatives, when she was appointed Minister for Defence Science and Personnel. She subsequently held the portfolios of Communications and Aviation Support 1988–90.
Arts, Sport, Environment, Tourism and Territories 1991–93. Environment, Sport and Territories 1993–94. And Arts, Sport, the Environment, Tourism and Territories 1994–95.
She also served as Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women until 1994. She suffered considerable embarrassment as a result of the so-called 'sports rorts affair', when she revealed that funding for sporting bodies was arranged on the basis of a group discussion around a "great big whiteboard" in her office. She resigned from the ministry on 28 February 1994 and from parliament 11 months later on 30 January 1995.
The resulting by-election on 25 March 1995 saw the loss of the Canberra electorate to the opposition Liberal Party. Since leaving politics, Kelly has worked as an environmental management executive and as a director of a number of non-profit organisations. She is currently chair of the board of trustees for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
She was formerly married to journalist Paul Kelly, whose surname she has retained.
A.C.T. Consumer Affairs Council 79. A.C.T. Legal Aid Commission 1976-1979. A.C.T. Legis.; Federation Pari. since 1980.
Married David Morgan.