Kate Lundy

Kate Lundy

Kate Alexandra Lundy (born 15 December 1967) is a member of the Australian Senate, representing the Australian Capital Territory.

Born in Sydney, Lundy dropped out of Year 11 without telling her parents and went to work on a construction site. She became the trade union representative and began her career in the Building Workers Industrial Union (BWIU).

In 1996, aged 28, Lundy became the youngest woman from the Australian Labor Party to be elected to the federal parliament. This record has since been superseded by Kate Ellis. She replaced Bob McMullan in the Senate when he moved to a lower house seat in that year's election.

After the 1998 election, Lundy was made Shadow Minister for Sport and Youth Affairs and Shadow Minister Assisting the Shadow Minister for Industry and Technology on Information Technology. In 2001 she became Shadow Minister for Information Technology and Sport. She added the Arts and Recreation to her responsibilities in 2003 after Mark Latham became federal Labor leader. She was Shadow Minister for Manufacturing and Consumer Affairs from October 2004 to June 2005, when she was appointed Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation. With the election of Kevin Rudd as Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party in December 2006, Kate had Health Promotion and Local Government added to her responsibilities for Sport and Recreation.

Following the 2007 federal election, Lundy was dropped from the front bench and was replaced as Minister for Sport and Minister for Youth by Kate Ellis.

On 11 September 2010, she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Citizenship as well as Prime Minister and Cabinet as part of a minority Gillard Labor government reshuffle of ministers. She joined the Gillard ministry in a reshuffle in March 2012, where she received the Minister for Sport portfolio following the retirement of Senator Mark Arbib, and was also made Minister for Multicultural Affairs.

Lundy is a member of the Socialist Left faction of the ALP. She has been highly active on the issue of internet regulation, arguing against both the Howard government's and her own party's policy in that area. Lundy is also patron of the Canberra Rowing Club and the Pearcey Foundation.