David Kennedy (Australian politician)

Andrew David Kennedy (born 20 March 1940) is an Australian former politician. Born in Ulverstone, Tasmania, he attended University High School in Melbourne and then the University of Melbourne, after which he became a teacher in Victorian state schools. In 1969, he was elected as a Labor member to the Australian House of Representatives in the by-election for the seat of Bendigo following Noel Beaton's resignation. He held the seat until his defeat in 1972.[1] In 1982, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the member for Bendigo, and in 1985 he transferred to Bendigo West, a position he held until 1992 when the Labor government was defeated.[2]

David Kennedy
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Bendigo
In office
7 June 1969 – 2 December 1972
Preceded byNoel Beaton
Succeeded byJohn Bourchier
Personal details
Born (1940-03-20) 20 March 1940
Ulverstone, Tasmania
NationalityAustralian
Political partyAustralian Labor Party
RelationsCyril Kennedy (brother)
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne
OccupationTeacher

Kennedy's older brother, Cyril James Kennedy, also served in the Victorian state parliament, as the member for the Legislative Council seat of Waverley from 1979 to 1992.[3] The brothers are fifth-generation descendants (great-great-great-grandchildren) of Mannalargenna, a 19th-century Aboriginal Tasmanian leader.[1] Consequently, they are part of the ever growing list of Indigenous Australian elected to Australian legislatures.[4][5] However, Neville Bonner, who entered the Australian Senate in 1971, two years after David Kennedy's election to the House, is generally recognised[note 1] as the first Aboriginal parliamentarian,[6] and Ken Wyatt, elected in 2010, is generally reckoned as the first Aboriginal member of the lower house.[7][8][9] This situation arose due to the Indigenous heritage of the Kennedys being unknown at the time of his elections, with David not self-identifying as Aboriginal at that point.[5]

Notes
  1. "David Kennedy was the first Indigenous individual to be elected to both a state parliament and the Federal Parliament, having served as the ALP Member for Bendigo (1969–1972) prior to entering the Victorian Parliament in 1982 (MLA, ALP). However, his Indigenous heritage was not known when he entered both [sic] parliaments nor did he self-identify as Indigenous at that time. For these reasons Neville Bonner is recorded as the first Indigenous federal parliamentarian." From: Gobbet (2017).

References
  1. "David Kennedy". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  2. Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 14 June 2008.
  3. "Cyril James Kennedy". Re-Member: a database of all Victorian MPs since 1851. Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  4. Indigenous Australian parliamentarians in federal and state/territory parliaments; Parliament of Australia
  5. Gobbett, Hannah; Parliamentary Library (11 July 2017). "Indigenous parliamentarians, federal and state: a quick guide". www.aph.gov.au. Parliament House, Canberra: Commonwealth Parliament. Retrieved 27 February 2021. Source: P Biongiourno, 'Outgoing ALP National President discusses the ALP and the ALP conference', Meet the Press, transcript, 30 July 2000, accessed 17 October 2016.
  6. For example, in Electoral milestones for Indigenous Australians – Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  7. "Australia has come a long way: Wyatt". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  8. Ker, Peter (23 August 2010). "Wyatt likes the odd but keeping his cards close in Hasluck". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  9. "First Australian Aboriginal in House of Representatives". BBC. 29 August 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
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