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 =

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| nationality = Australian

| spouse =

| party = Liberal Party of Australia

| relations =

| children =

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| alma_mater =

| occupation = Financial consultant

| profession =

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}}

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.[http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE4122b.htm Elson, Kay Selma (1947 – )], The Australian Women's Register, 22 April 2009. She was born in Brisbane, Queensland, and was a special events co-ordinator for a handicapped association,[http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/guide/departingmps.htm Retiring MPs], Australia Votes 2007, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2007. a shop proprietor and a financial consultant before entering politics. Elson is married to David, a beekeeper and bush poet.https://honeybee.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/AHBIC_Congress-wrap-7.2018.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}} Elson has eight children, 24 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.{{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}}

Elson had contested a total of four Queensland state elections prior to her candidacy for federal parliament.{{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 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} 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.{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gt1JAQAAIAAJ|title=Parliamentary Papers Volume 3|publisher=Queensland Parliament Legislative Assembly|page=71|date=1983}}

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.