Kate Chaney is an Australian politician serving as a Member of the House of Representatives for Curtin since May 2022.
At the 21 May election, she defeated the previous MP, Celia Hammond of the Liberal Party, with 51% of the vote to succeed her as the MP for Curtin. With her major election issue being the action on climate change and integrity in politics, Chaney is an economically sensible and socially progressive politician.
The Curtin MP is the granddaughter of the late Fred Chaney Sr., a distinguished Australian politician from the 20th Century. He was an MP from 1955 to 1969 and the Lord Mayor of Perth from 1978 to 1982.
She is married to Bill Keane and is the mother of three children.
Who Is Kate Chaney’s Husband, Bill Keane?
Bill Keane is the husband of Australian politician Kate Chaney.
The couple is the parents of three children. Unfortunately, there is not much information about Kate’s husband, Bill, as he has kept his personal life out of the spotlight.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Bill studied at the University of Western Australia and graduated with a Bachelor in Law (LLB) degree in 1994. Later in 2004, he graduated with a Master of Law and Management degree from UNSW.
He worked as a partner at Corrs Chambers Westgarth from 2007 to 2011. Since then, he has worked as a Barrister at Francis Burt Chambers, specializing in Commercial Litigation, Competition Law, Consumer Law, and Intellectual Property.
Australian politician Kate Chaney was born to a family of prominent politicians and businessmen.
She attended John XXIII College at the University of Western Australia and graduated in 1998. She then joined a law firm named Blake Dawson Waldron in Sydney and finished her MBA from the University.
Chaney then worked as a strategic advisor at Boston Consulting Group and later became General Manager at Westralia Airports Corporation, managing the company of Perth Airport.
She then worked as an Aboriginal affairs manager and sustainability manager at Wesfarmers. She was also the director of innovation and strategy for Anglicare from 2017 to 2022.
Kate Chaney’s Parents And Family Background
Kate Chaney was born on 21 January 1975 to Michael Chaney and his wife.
Her father, Michael, is a businessman and former chancellor of the University of Western Australia. There is not much information about her mother, as her identity remains under wraps.
Michael Chaney is the chairman of Wesfarmers and was the chairman of the National Australia Bank and Woodside Petroleum until 2016.
He is also a Director of the Center for Independent Studies and the former Chancellor of the University of Western Australia. He was also a director of BHP for ten years and a JPMorgan Chase International Council member from 2004 to 2015.
Kate’s uncle Fred is a former politician who served as Liberal Party’s deputy leader for a year and served as a minister in the Fraser Government. He served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1990 to 1993 and was a Senator for Western Australia for 16 years.
Her uncle John is a former justice of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and a former judge of the District Court of Western Australia.
On her maternal side, her great-grandfather Hubert Parker was a politician who represented the Western Australian Legislative Assembly seat of North-East Fremantle from 1930 until 1933.
Kate Chaney Is Fred Chaney Sr’s Granddaughter
Kate Chaney’s grandfather Sir Fred Charles Chaney Sr was an Australian politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1955 to 1969.
Chaney Sr also served as a federal Minister for the Navy from 1964 to 1966 and the Administrator of the Northern Territory from 1970 to 1973. He ended his political career as Lord Mayor of Perth from 1978 to 1982.
He worked as a teacher in state schools from 1932 and enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force as a pilot in 1941. He was also a flying instructor who served in Australia, New Guinea, and Borneo and was awarded the Air Force Cross.
In 1970, Fred Chaney Sr was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), and later in 1981, a Knight Commander of the Order (KBE). He and his wife, Mavis, were the parents of four sons and three daughters.
Kate Chaney’s Net Worth In 2022
Kate Chaney is an Australian Parliament member who has a net worth of $2 million as of 2022.
The primary source of Chaney’s income is currently her being an MP of Australia. The basic salary of Senators and Members of Parliament is $211,250.
Before being elected as an MP, Chaney worked in respectable positions for several prestigious companies. She was the director of innovation and strategy for Anglicare WA for five years until 2022.
She also worked as a General Manager at Western Airports Corporation, Boston Consulting Group, and Wesfarmers. So it is safe to say that she earned a good amount of money from her career spanning over two decades.
Kate Chaney was associated with the Labor Party in 2021 before being an independent politician.
Curtin Independent was formed in December 2021 to search for an independent candidate for the Division of Curtin. It was created to replace the Liberal Party, which had held the seat for almost all of its existence.
The group was a part of a broader movement in the political community to field independent candidates, formed ahead of the 2022 Australian federal election. Chaney was announced as the independent candidate for Curtin on 27 January 2022.
Her election campaign famously spent $350,000 from Climate 200, a community crowdfunding initiative that supports independent candidates to stand for the election. A total of A$1 million was spent in her election campaign.
Her uncle Fred Chaney supported her and wrote an opinion piece in The Sydney Morning Herald, WAToday, and The Age. Also helping her were The Greens, who put her second on their how-to-vote cards.
At the election held on 21 May, she defeated the Liberal Party MP Celia Hammond as the Australian House of Representatives for Curtin.