Kay Janet Denman (born 22 July 1937) is a former Australian politician. She was a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

from 1993 to 2005, representing the

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also known as the Labor Party or simply Labor, is the major Centre-left politics, centre-left List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia and one of two Major party, major parties in Po ...

(ALP). She was a schoolteacher before entering politics.

Early life

Denman was born in

Latrobe, Tasmania Latrobe is a town in northern Tasmania, Australia on the Mersey River (Australia), Mersey River. It is 8 km south-east of Devonport, Tasmania, Devonport on the Bass Highway (Tasmania), Bass Highway. It is the main centre of the Latrobe Co ...

, and raised in Railton. She was educated at Railton Primary School and Devonport High School, before graduating with a Bachelor of Education and Diploma of Special Education from the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

. She was a school teacher from 1958 to 1961, took a break in which she had two children, and returned to teaching from 1964 to 1989. Denman was then private secretary to

Premier of Tasmania The premier of Tasmania is the head of the Government of Tasmania, executive government in the Australian state of Tasmania. By convention, the leader of the party or political grouping which has majority support in the Tasmanian House of Assem ...

Michael Field from 1989 to 1992 and manager of the Devonport Community Legal Centre in 1993. She was an inaugural member of the Mersey Leven Family Day Care committee, in which she was a strong advocate for access to day care for children with disabilities, and was also involved with Family Planning Tasmania. Denman joined the Labor Party in the early 1980s and was the president of the Labor Party's Devonport branch and a member of its national executive from 1990.

Senate

Denman was appointed to the Senate in August 1993 to fill a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator

Michael Tate Michael Carter Tate AO (born 6 July 1945) is a legal academic and former Australian Labor Party politician who later became an ambassador and then a Catholic priest. Early life and education Michael Carter Tate was born in Sydney on 6 July 19 ...

. She was Deputy Government Whip in the Senate from 1995 to 1996 and Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate from 1997 to 2001. Denman was a long-running chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Senators' Interests between 1996 and 2005. She was re-elected in her own right at the 1998 election and retired at the

2004 election The following elections occurred in the year 2004. Africa * 2004 Algerian presidential election * 2004 Botswana general election * 2004 Cameroonian presidential election * 2004 Comorian legislative election * 2004 Equatorial Guinean legislativ ...

. Her term expired on 30 June 2005. She had a strong interest in health, education and access issues during her time in parliament, and was an advocate for people with disabilities,

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

-related issues (her hometown of Railton had a major asbestos factory) and gay and lesbian rights.

Later career

After retiring from politics, Denman was a board member of disability organisation Devonfield Enterprises, a member of the Tasmanian Community Advisory Group Mental Health Advisory Committee and the North-West Area Health Services Network Advisory Group, and was made a life member of the Tasmanian Council for AIDS and Related Diseases (TasCARD). She also continued her asbestos advocacy, stating that her only regret on retiring from the Senate was that she would not be there to further the cause of those with asbestos-related diseases. She was inducted to the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women in 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denman, Kay 1937 births Living people People from Latrobe, Tasmania University of Tasmania alumni Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian Senate for Tasmania Women members of the Australian Senate 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian women politicians