Kelly Megan O'Dwyer (born 31 March 1977) is an Australian politician and member for
the Division of Higgins in the Australian House of Representatives. On 5 December 2009, at the 2009 Higgins by-election, O'Dwyer was elected to succeed former Treasurer Peter Costello. She served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer in the Abbott Government from December 2014. In September 2015, she was promoted to cabinet as Minister for Small Business and Assistant Treasurer in the Turnbull Government.
In winning preselection, O'Dwyer became the first woman to win Liberal Party preselection for a safe seat in metropolitan Melbourne. During the preselection process federal Liberal politicians Sophie Mirabella, Fran Bailey and Helen Coonan claimed that there had been a sexist campaign against O'Dwyer's candidacy, with some preselectors being told that a "leadership seat" such as Higgins was unsuited to a woman and that being elected to a federal seat might endanger her marriage.
In 2012 O'Dwyer, received an Elaine (for females making comments unhelpful to the sisterhood) under the Ernie Awards for calling Tanya Plibersek, Nicola Roxon and Deborah O'Neill the "handbag hit squad".
See also: Abbott Government and Turnbull Government
O'Dwyer had been serving as parliamentary secretary to the Treasurer, until she voted in favour of Malcolm Turnbull in a leadership spill of the Liberal Party held in September 2015. Turnbull was successful and was sworn in as Prime Minister on 15 September 2015. This was followed by a radical overhaul of the cabinet, in which O'Dwyer was appointed to cabinet as Minister for Small Business and Assistant Treasurer. Whilst many commentators expected O'Dwyer to be promoted into the outer ministry, her entrance into cabinet came as a surprise to many.
She is married to Jon Mant and has two sisters, and one brother. Her daughter, Olivia, was born in 2015.
In winning preselection, O'Dwyer became the first woman to win Liberal Party preselection for a safe seat in metropolitan Melbourne. During the preselection process federal Liberal politicians Sophie Mirabella, Fran Bailey and Helen Coonan claimed that there had been a sexist campaign against O'Dwyer's candidacy, with some preselectors being told that a "leadership seat" such as Higgins was unsuited to a woman and that being elected to a federal seat might endanger her marriage.
In 2012 O'Dwyer, received an Elaine (for females making comments unhelpful to the sisterhood) under the Ernie Awards for calling Tanya Plibersek, Nicola Roxon and Deborah O'Neill the "handbag hit squad".
See also: Abbott Government and Turnbull Government
O'Dwyer had been serving as parliamentary secretary to the Treasurer, until she voted in favour of Malcolm Turnbull in a leadership spill of the Liberal Party held in September 2015. Turnbull was successful and was sworn in as Prime Minister on 15 September 2015. This was followed by a radical overhaul of the cabinet, in which O'Dwyer was appointed to cabinet as Minister for Small Business and Assistant Treasurer. Whilst many commentators expected O'Dwyer to be promoted into the outer ministry, her entrance into cabinet came as a surprise to many.
She is married to Jon Mant and has two sisters, and one brother. Her daughter, Olivia, was born in 2015.
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