Kay Elson

{{Short description|Australian politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Kay Elson | honorific_suffix = | image = | constituency_MP = Forde | parliament = Australian | majority = | predecessor = Mary Crawford | successor = Brett Raguse | term_start = 2 March 1996 | term_end = 17 October 2007 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1947|1|25}} | birth_place = Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = | party = Liberal Party of Australia | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = Financial consultant | profession = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Kay Selma Elson''' (born 25 January 1947) is an Australian politician who was a Liberal Member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 until her retirement in November 2007. Kay represented the Division of Forde, Queensland.<ref name="awr">[http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE4122b.htm Elson, Kay Selma (1947 – )], The Australian Women's Register, 22 April 2009.</ref> She was born in Brisbane, Queensland, and was a special events co-ordinator for a handicapped association,<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/guide/departingmps.htm Retiring MPs], ''Australia Votes 2007'', Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2007.</ref> a shop proprietor and a financial consultant before entering politics.<ref name="awr" /> Elson is married to David, a beekeeper and bush poet.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Australian Honey Bee Industry Council |url=https://honeybee.org.au/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Australian Honey Bee Industry Council |language=en-US}}</ref> Elson has eight children, 24 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.<ref name="The Pull of House and home">{{cite news|last1=Farouque|first1=Farah|title=The Pull of House and home|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/10/12/1065676212028.html?from=storyrhs|accessdate=22 August 2015|work=The Age|location=Melbourne|date=12 October 2003}}</ref>

Elson had contested a total of four Queensland state elections prior to her candidacy for federal parliament.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Paul A. Pickering |date=March 1998 |title=The Class of 96: A Biographical Analysis of New Government Members of the Australian House of Representatives |url=https://ur.booksc.me/dl/8954194/f0c531 |journal=Australian Journal of Politics & History |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=95–112 |doi=10.1111/1467-8497.00006 |access-date=24 August 2022 |url-access=subscription }}{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> She ran for Woodridge in 1983 as a Nationals candidate, Springwood in 1986 as an independent candidate, and Albert and Broadwater in 1989 and 1992 respectively as a Liberal Party candidate. She ran as "Elson, Selma Kay" for the 1983 election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gt1JAQAAIAAJ|title=Parliamentary Papers Volume 3|publisher=Queensland Parliament Legislative Assembly|page=71|date=1983}}</ref>

Elson was preselected as the 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 October 2006, Kay Elson announced that she would not be seeking a fifth term and retired at the 2007 Election. By this time, she had 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 gained by Labor.

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|au}} {{succession box | title={{nowrap|Member for Forde}} | before=Mary Crawford | after=Brett Raguse | years=1996–2007}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elson, Kay}} Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Forde Category:Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Category:21st-century Australian women politicians Category:20th-century Australian women politicians Category:Australian MPs 1996–1998 Category:Australian MPs 1998–2001 Category:Australian MPs 2001–2004 Category:Australian MPs 2004–2007