John Kennedy (Australian politician)

John Kennedy
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for Hawthorn
In office
24 November 2018 – 30 November 2022
Preceded byJohn Pesutto
Succeeded byJohn Pesutto
Personal details
Born
John Ormond Kennedy

(1947-11-16) 16 November 1947 (age 76)
Sydney
Political partyLabor
ResidenceHawthorn, Melbourne
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
University of Melbourne
OccupationTeacher, Principal

John Ormond Kennedy (born 16 November 1947) is an Australian politician and member of the Labor Party. He was elected as member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly in November 2018, representing the seat of Hawthorn until 2022.

Kennedy succeeded incumbent Liberal MP John Pesutto in November 2018. He is only the second Labor member ever to win this traditional blue-ribbon Liberal seat, and the first in 63 years.

Kennedy worked as a teacher before entering politics, and served as the Founding Principal of Loyola College for nearly thirty years (1979–2008).[1] He stood in the 2013 federal election for the blue-ribbon Liberal seat of Kooyong, losing to Liberal incumbent Josh Frydenberg.

Kennedy is a member of ABC Friends (previously Friends of the ABC), the Graduate Union of The University of Melbourne Inc, Labor for Refugees, and Labor for a Republic and a monthly contributor to Jesuit Social Services, Médecins Sans Frontières and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He is not a member of any Labor faction.

Kennedy has stated that his top policy priorities are education and public transport.[2]

  1. ^ Green, Antony (2018). "Hawthorn". Victorian State Election 2018. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
  2. ^ "Meet the retired school principal who seized blue-ribbon Liberal seat Hawthorn".