Kelly Vincent

{{Short description|Australian playwright, actress and politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Kelly Vincent

| image = Kelly Vincent crop.jpg

| office = Member of the South Australian Legislative Council

| term_start = 20 March 2010

| term_end = 17 March 2018

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1988|10|25}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.d4d.org.au/Default.aspx?pageId=658161|title=It's Kelly's time to shine|access-date=16 August 2010|archive-date=10 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310145455/http://www.d4d.org.au/Default.aspx?pageId=658161|url-status=dead}}

| party = Dignity Party

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}

Kelly Leah Vincent (born 25 October 1988) is an Australian playwright, actress and former politician. She was elected at the 2010 state election for the Dignity Party to the eleventh and last seat for an eight-year term in the 22-member Legislative Council in the Parliament of South Australia.{{Cite web|author=Tory Shepherd |url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/in-depth/parliament-house-not-ready-for-kelly/story-fn2sdwup-1225844006066 |title=Parliament House not ready for Kelly: The Advertiser 23 March 2010 |publisher=Adelaidenow.com.au |date=23 March 2010 |access-date=2010-09-10}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/08/2867319.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411232326/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/08/2867319.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 April 2010 |title=Nation's youngest MP elected in SA: ABC News 8 April 2010 |newspaper=ABC News |publisher=Abc.net.au |date= 8 April 2010|access-date=2010-09-10}}

Vincent has cerebral palsy and attended parliament in a wheelchair.{{Cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/state-politics/dignified-victory-in-sa-for-australias-youngest-female-mp/story-e6frgczx-1225851586229|title=Dignified victory in SA for Australia's youngest female MP|last=Akerman|first=Pia|date=9 April 2010|work=The Australian|publisher=News Limited|access-date=9 April 2010}} Parliament House underwent installation of a specifically designed desk inside the chamber, as well as wheelchair accessible toilets and ramps.{{Cite web|author=Lauren Novak, Daniel Wills |url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/kellys-tribute-to-a-friend-who-stood-tall/story-e6frea6u-1225863271548 |title=Kelly's tribute to a friend who stood tall: The Advertiser 6 May 2010 |publisher=Adelaidenow.com.au |date=6 May 2010 |access-date=2010-09-10}} Vincent identifies as bisexual.{{Cite web|url=http://hansardpublic.parliament.sa.gov.au/Pages/DateDisplay.aspx#/DateDisplay/HANSARD-10-6331/HANSARD-10-6325 |title=Hansard records for November 24th 2010}}

Early career

Vincent was a playwright and actress before being elected to parliament. She wrote and appeared in several "No Strings Attached" productions, a company dedicated to people with disabilities.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nostringsattached.org.au/index.php |title= No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability|date= |access-date=7 July 2017}} She undertook high school work experience with the company in 2004, and has worked with the company on and off. She is also fluent in French and Spanish, and began language studies at university after year 12 before returning to writing plays.

Parliament

The party's upper house vote doubled from 0.6 percent to 1.2 percent at the 2010 state election, and after receiving preferences, Vincent was elected to the eleventh and last upper house seat. Vincent was listed second on the party's upper house ticket, but received the preferences of first candidate Paul Collier who died of a brain haemorrhage eleven days before the election.{{Cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/08/2867319.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411232326/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/08/2867319.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 April 2010 |title=Youngest woman MP elected in SA: ABC News, 8 April 2010 |newspaper=ABC News |publisher=Abc.net.au |date= 8 April 2010|access-date=2010-09-10}}

Aged 21 at the time of election, Vincent was the youngest member of the Parliament of South Australia and the youngest woman elected to any Australian parliament.{{Cite web|url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/in-depth/south-australia-state-parliament-gets-first-disabled-politician/story-fn2sdwup-1225851392569 |title=South Australia State Parliament gets first disabled politician and nation's youngest parliamentarian: The Advertiser 8 April 2010 |publisher=Adelaidenow.com.au |date=8 April 2010 |access-date=2010-09-10}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/1997-98/98rn42.htm |title=Australian Political Records: APH library |publisher=Aph.gov.au |access-date=2010-09-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017060628/http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/1997-98/98rn42.htm |archivedate=17 October 2008 }} She stated she would "probably side with The Greens on certain issues".{{Cite web|author=Pia Akerman |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/disability-vote-honours-candidates-memory/story-e6frg6nf-1225843486261 |title=Disability vote 'honours candidate's memory': The Australian 23 March 2010 |publisher=Theaustralian.com.au |date=23 March 2010 |access-date=2010-09-10}}{{Cite web|last=Om |first=Jason |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/26/2857505.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327094047/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/26/2857505.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 March 2010 |title=Disability party on verge of historic win: ABC News 26 March 2010 |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=26 March 2010 |access-date=2010-09-10}}

Vincent was a member of a number of parliamentary committees including the Social Development Committee, Access to and Interaction with the Justice System for People with Disabilities, Disability Services Funding, Electoral Matters in South Australia, Joint Committee on the Operation of the Transplantation and Anatomy Act 1983, Access to the Education System for Students with Disabilities, and the Joint Committee on matters relating to Elder Abuse.{{cite SA-parl |pid=4364 |name=Kelly Vincent |former=yes |access-date=19 August 2022}}

She was defeated in the 2018 state election even as the Dignity Party increased their primary vote. She blamed the introduction of optional preferential voting for her defeat.{{Cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-23/kelly-vincent-robert-brokenshire-lose-sa-upper-house-seats/9687872 |title=SA election: Kelly Vincent and Robert Brokenshire lose Upper House seats, 23 April 2010 |newspaper=ABC News |publisher=Abc.net.au |date= 23 April 2018|access-date=April 24, 2018}}

Recent works

After leaving parliament, Kelly established True Ability Theatre Company with Alirio Zavarce in 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/adelaide/article/Kelly-Vincent-and-Alirio-Zavarce-Create-Disability-Led-Theatre-True-Ability-20200731|title = Kelly Vincent and Alirio Zavarce Create Disability-Led Theatre: True Ability}} In 2021 she published her first book "Dandelion Heart." This is a collection of essays and poems.{{Cite web|url=https://www.debutbooks.com.au/bookshop/p/dandelion-heart-by-kelly-vincent|title = Dandelion Heart by Kelly Vincent - Debut Books - the Mini Collection}}

Awards

On 29 March 2017, Vincent won a Zonta Women of Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Human Rights.{{Cite web|url=http://www.zontaclubofadelaide.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Annual-Report-2017.pdf|title=2017 Annual Report of the Zonta Club of Adelaide|access-date=7 July 2017|archive-date=22 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322204848/http://www.zontaclubofadelaide.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Annual-Report-2017.pdf|url-status=dead}}

References

External links

{{Official website}}
[http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-04-09/the-rise-of-kelly-vincent/2585022 Rise of Kelly Vincent: Stateline SA (ABC), 9 April 2010 – video transcript]
{{Australian Women and Leadership|WLE0169b|Vincent, Kelly}}

Category:1988 births

Category:Living people

Category:Members of the South Australian Legislative Council

Category:People with cerebral palsy

Category:Australian politicians with disabilities

Category:Australian stage actresses

Category:Australian women dramatists and playwrights

Category:Australian actor-politicians

Category:Bisexual women politicians

Category:Bisexual women writers

Category:Bisexual dramatists and playwrights

Category:Australian bisexual women