Politician Kate Ellis

She served in multiple portfolios in the outer ministry of the 2007–2013 federal Labor government and was in the shadow cabinet after that. In March 2017 Ellis announced that she would step down from shadow cabinet as of the next reshuffle and leave parliament at the 2019 federal election.

The Honourable Kate Ellis
Member of the Australian Parliament for Adelaide
In office 9 October 2004 – 11 April 2019
Preceded by	Trish Worth
Succeeded by	Steve Georganas
Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth
In office 1 July 2013 – 18 September 2013
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd
Preceded by	Peter Garrett
Succeeded by	Sussan Ley
In office 3 December 2007 – 28 June 2010
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard
Preceded by	Position Recreated
Succeeded by	Peter Garrett
Minister for Employment Participation
In office 14 December 2011 – 18 September 2013
Prime Minister	Julia Gillard Kevin Rudd
Preceded by	Mark Arbib
Succeeded by	Luke Hartsuyker
Minister for the Status of Women
In office 15 September 2010 – 14 December 2011
Prime Minister	Julia Gillard
Preceded by	Tanya Plibersek
Succeeded by	Julie Collins
Minister for Sport
In office 3 December 2007 – 24 June 2010
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard
Preceded by	George Brandis
Succeeded by	Mark Arbib
Personal details
Born	Katherine Margaret Ellis (1977-09-22) 22 September 1977 (age 46) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political party	Australian Labor Party
Spouse	David Penberthy ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	2

Ellis was born in Melbourne and grew up in rural South Australia in the Murray River town of Mannum where her mother worked as a teacher at the local primary school. Ellis moved to Adelaide for her secondary education, attending Daws Road High School. She enrolled but left without completing a Bachelor of International Studies at Flinders University. While enrolled at Flinders she was General Secretary of the Students Association and an editor of Empire Times. A member of the Australian Labor Party, she worked as a research officer for state and federal parliamentarians. Ellis is linked with the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA). She was a ministerial adviser to South Australian state minister Rory McEwen and then for the former Deputy Premier of South Australia, Kevin Foley.

Ellis was elected to the House of Representatives for the Division of Adelaide, South Australia at the 2004 federal election, defeating Liberal Party incumbent Trish Worth on a 2 percent two-party swing to a margin of 1.3 points, increasing to 8.5 points in 2007. The margin was reduced to 7.7 points in 2010 and to 4.0 percent in 2013.

After the 2007 election Ellis became Minister for Youth and Minister for Sport. This made her the youngest person to become an Australian government minister, a record until then held by former Prime Minister Paul Keating. In 2009 Ellis took on the portfolio of Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth. After the 2010 election, Ellis became the Minister for Employment Participation and Early Childhood and Childcare and the Minister for the Status of Women. For a few months prior to the 2013 Labor government defeat, Ellis was the Minister for Early Childhood, Childcare and Youth. Ellis was then elevated to shadow cabinet with the portfolios of Education and Early Childhood.

In 2012 Ellis voted in support of a same-sex marriage bill. She supported the Safe School Coalition Australia program in 2016.

On 23 February 2013, Ellis married News Limited journalist David Penberthy, then the editor-in-chief of news.com.au and a columnist for several News Limited publications and previously the editor of Sydney's Daily Telegraph. Ellis gave birth to her first child in April 2015 and a second in July 2017. Ellis supports the Adelaide Football Club and was named as a club ambassador in 2009. In 2011, she joined tennis star Lleyton Hewitt as the club's number-one ticket holder, becoming the first woman so honoured. She is also a Club Ambassador for the SANFL team the Glenelg Tigers.

Ellis's public image has been the subject of media attention since her entry into public life. In October 2008, she was voted Parliament's "sexiest" MP in a poll of federal MPs conducted by The Courier-Mail newspaper. In April 2010, she modelled a Karen Millen dress and Gucci high-heels for Grazia magazine. She agreed to do the shoot to raise awareness of the pressures on women related to body image, and to encourage fashion magazines to promote healthy attitudes toward weight and eating.

On 9 March 2017, Ellis announced that she would step down from shadow cabinet as of the next reshuffle, and leave parliament at the 2019 federal election in order to spend more time with her young family. A week later, it was announced that she was in the early stages of her second pregnancy, and her second son was born in July 2017.

In April 2021, her book, Sex, Lies and Question Time, was published by Hardie Grant.

• First Rudd Ministry
• First Gillard Ministry
• Second Gillard Ministry
• Second Rudd Ministry