Kay Elson

Kay Elson
Member of the Australian Parliament for Forde
In office 2 March 1996 – 17 October 2007
Preceded by	Mary Crawford
Succeeded by	Brett Raguse
Personal details
Born	25 January 1947 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party of Australia
Occupation	Financial consultant

Kay Selma Elson (born 25 January 1947), Australian politician, was a Liberal Member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 until her resignation in November 2007. Kay represented the Division of Forde, Queensland.^[1] She was born in Brisbane, Queensland, and was a special events co-ordinator for a handicapped association,^[2] a shop proprietor and a financial consultant before entering politics.^[1] Elson has eight children.^[3]

Elson was preselected as Liberal candidate in Forde for the 1996 election. The seat was originally a safe Labor seat, but a redistribution added some Liberal-friendly territory in the Scenic Rim, which all but erased Labor's majority. Elson defeated Labor incumbent Mary Crawford on a nine-percent swing, turning Forde into a safe Liberal seat in one stroke. Her victory was part of Labor's near-total collapse in Queensland; Labor was cut down to only two seats there.

In June 2006, Kay Elson announced that she would not be seeking a fifth term. By this time, she'd built up her majority to 12 percent. However, the seat was lost to Labor on a 14-point swing, making it one of the safest Coalition seats to be taken by Labor.

References

1. Elson, Kay Selma (1947 - ), The Australian Women's Register, 22 April 2009.
2. Retiring MPs, Australia Votes 2007, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2007.
3. Farouque, Farah (12 October 2003). "The Pull of House and home". The Age. Retrieved 22 August 2015.