Simon Kennedy facts for kids

Simon Kennedy (born 1982 or 1983) is an Australian politician, lawyer and consultant. Kennedy is a Liberal Party member in the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Cook. He was elected in a by-election in April 2024 and succeeded former prime minister Scott Morrison as the member for Cook.

Early life

Kennedy was born in West Ryde, Sydney.

He attended Epping Boys High School, where his mother and stepfather both taught. Simon was elected school captain and he served on the Ryde City Youth Council.

In 2006, he graduated in law and commerce from the University of New South Wales.

Career

After graduating university, Kennedy was hired by a leading Australian law firm called Clayton Utz.

In 2008, he joined McKinsey and Company, an American multinational consulting business. As a consultant, Kennedy worked abroad several times, spending time in Washington DC and New York. Kennedy also worked in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

Kennedy is currently partner in consulting firm Banksia Growth.

Politics

2022 Australian federal election

Kennedy was pre-selected by the Liberal Party as the candidate in Bennelong at the 2022 Australian federal election in a bid to succeed John Alexander for Bennelong.

On 10 April 2022, Kennedy attended an event organised by anti-lockdown group A Stand in the Park where he expressed concerns about the vaccine mandates which were created during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a later statement, Kennedy said he strongly supported the COVID-19 vaccination effort but that blanket mandates were a complex and emotive issue.

Although historically considered to be a safe Liberal seat, Kennedy was unsuccessful, losing to Labor's Jerome Laxale who on a two candidate preferred count received 50.98% of the vote compared to Kennedy's 49.02%. Laxale won the election by a 1.96% margin.

2024 Cook by-election

As a result of Scott Morrison's resignation as a member of parliament, a by-election was triggered in Morrison's seat of Cook.

In March 2024, Kennedy won the Liberal pre-selection to contest for the seat. Other candidates who attempted to win the Liberal preselection included mayor of Sutherland Shire Carmelo Pesce, former United Australia Party candidate Benjamin Britton, and Gwen Cherne, the appointed Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner who was endorsed by John Howard.

The preselection of Kennedy attracted criticism about the increasing lack of balance between male and female Liberal MPs with more men expected to replace retiring female MPs. Kennedy's preselection also prompted a campaign from senior Liberal women to preselect more female candidates ahead of the next Australian federal election.

The pre-selection of a candidate that didn't live in the local electorate also attracted criticism, including from Sutherland Shire councillor Jack Boyd who stated that "no amount of cosplaying as a Sharks fan should make up for the fact that you have never lived in a community you seek to represent." Kennedy said that although he had listened to the criticisms, he was more interested in the cost of living challenges faced by the people of Cook. Kennedy moved to a rental property in Woolooware with his family after his pre-selection. On 22 March 2024, Labor announced that they had decided not to contest for the seat.

With Labor's absence from the ballot, Greens candidate Martin Moore is seen as Kennedy's strongest opponent.

Personal life

Simon is married to Nila, an American born infectious disease doctor who he met during his work overseas. He has 2 children.