Simon Kennedy facts for kids

Simon Peter Kennedy (born 4 June 1982) is an Australian politician. He is a member of the Australian House of Representatives, which is part of Australia's Parliament. He was elected in 2024 to represent the area called Cook for the Liberal Party. Before becoming a politician, he worked as a lawyer and a business consultant.

Early Life and Education

Simon Kennedy was born in West Ryde, a suburb of Sydney. His mother was a teacher and worked full-time. Because of this, his grandfather, a veteran from World War II, helped raise him a lot. His grandmother also served in the war as an Army Nurse.

He went to Epping Boys High School. Both his mother and stepfather taught at this school. Simon was chosen as the school captain. He also became the President of the students' representative council. He was even part of the Ryde City Youth council.

In 2006, he finished his university studies. He earned degrees in law and commerce from the University of New South Wales.

Career Before Politics

Simon Kennedy's work mainly focused on helping the government and public services. After university, he joined a law firm called Clayton Utz. There, he gave advice on energy changes to a government department.

Soon after, he moved to McKinsey & Company. This is a big company that helps other businesses and governments. He worked there for 14 years. He started in Sydney, then moved to New York and Washington, D.C. He worked on projects for governments in North America, Asia, and the country of Haiti.

In 2016, he returned to Sydney. He helped start McKinsey's team that works with the Australian government. He became a partner at the company. During this time, he advised the government on its response to the Covid pandemic. He also helped plan new innovation areas in Sydney. In 2022, he left McKinsey. He then started a tech investment company called Banksia.

Entering Politics

Simon Kennedy has said that his family taught him to want to serve others. He first tried to become a politician in 2022 but did not win. However, he successfully won a seat in the Australian Parliament in 2024.

2022 Election Attempt

In 2022, Simon Kennedy tried to become the new member for the area of Division of Bennelong. The previous member, John Alexander, was retiring. Simon won against another candidate to become the Liberal Party's choice.

Historically, Bennelong was a safe seat for the Liberal Party. However, in this election, a Labor Party candidate won. Simon Kennedy lost by a small number of votes.

During this time, issues about the COVID-19 pandemic were still important. Simon talked with many community groups. He shared some concerns about vaccine rules that limited travel and businesses. Later, he explained his views more clearly. He said he was "pro-vaccine" and "pro-science." He also mentioned that his family was fully vaccinated. His wife is a doctor who worked on the front lines during the pandemic. He added that he believed in listening to people, even if they had different opinions.

2024 Cook By-election

Scott Morrison resigned from Parliament in early 2024. This made the seat for the Division of Cook open. A special election, called a by-election, was set for April 13. Simon Kennedy and his family moved to Woolooware in the Cook community before the vote. They started campaigning by meeting people in shops and at beaches.

Six people wanted to be the Liberal Party's candidate for Cook. About 300 local Liberal Party members chose the candidate. Other people who tried to get the nomination included the mayor of Sutherland Shire and a veteran advocate.

Some people criticized the Liberal Party for not having enough female candidates. One local councilor criticized Simon Kennedy for not living in the community before the election. He also joked about Simon being a "cosplay" (pretending) supporter of the Sharks football team. Simon said he was more focused on the cost of living crisis for people in Cook. He did admit that he was a lifelong supporter of the Canterbury Bulldogs football team.

On March 4, Simon Kennedy won the Liberal Party's vote to become the candidate. He had support from several important party leaders. The Labor Party decided not to run a candidate in this election. This made the Greens candidate, Martin Moore, Simon's strongest opponent. Simon's campaign message was about supporting Australians who want to improve their lives.

On April 13, 2024, Simon Kennedy won the 2024 Cook by-election. He received a much higher share of the votes for the Liberal Party. He got 71% of the vote against his main opponent. He officially became a Member of Parliament in Canberra on May 14, 2024.

Personal Life

Simon Kennedy is married to Nila Dharan. She is an infectious disease doctor from America. They met when he was working overseas. They have two children.