Kirstie Marshall
Encyclopedia
Kirstie Marshall (born 21 April 1969) is a notable Australia
n aerial skier and Victorian state politician
.
Marshall was an ex-gymnast who became an aerial skier at Mount Buller, Victoria
. During her skiing career Marshall won over 40 World Cup medals, including 17 World Cup gold medals. Marshall competed in aerial skiing as a demonstration sport at the 1992 Winter Olympics, and as a medal event in 1994 and 1998, where she came sixth and fourteenth respectively.
In December 2002, aged 33, Marshall was elected as a Member of Parliament in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
for the Australian Labor Party
.
On 26 February 2003, she was ejected from the Lower House chamber for breastfeeding her 11-day-old baby, Charlotte Louise. A section of the Parliamentary rules, namely Standing Order 30, states: "Unless by order of the House, no Member of this House shall presume to bring any stranger into any part of the House appropriated to the Members of this House while the House, or a Committee of the whole House, is sitting." As there is no age limit to ‘strangers in the House’ (non-elected persons), only MPs and certain parliamentary staff are allowed in the House during sitting times.
Subsequently, the Speaker of the House set aside a room in which female MPs can feed their children without violating the Standing Orders.
with parents, Ron and Anne, older sister, Sascha and younger brother, Carey. She attended Black Rock Primary school (Prep - Yr 6), then Mentone Girls High School (now Mentone Secondary College) before transferring to Firbank Girls' Grammar School
in Yr 9. She moved to Taylors College for Yr 12.
Marshall, along with her siblings, started skiing from the age of 4 at the Mount Baw Baw ski resort in Victoria, Australia. In 1981 the family became regular skiers at the Mount Buller ski resort, one of the largest ski resorts in Victoria. In 1987 she joined Team Buller, a Freestyle ski team run by Geoff Lipshut, Peter Braun, Eyal Talmore, Tim Skate and David Freedman based on Mount Buller.
The creation of a skier-exchange program for Freestyle Aerialists saw three Japanese skiers spend the 1987 winter in Mount Buller one of whom, Takayo Yokoyama, was nearing the end of his career and was interested in becoming an International coach. With little prospects in his native country, the chance meeting in Australia saw Marshall being offered a four month scholarship in Inawashiro, Listel Ski Fantasia, the center for Freestyle Skiing in Japan, with Takayo as her coach.
Following the 1988 Australian Freeslyle competition where she placed first, Marshall decided to follow the European winter and compete on the four month long World Cup Season. Sponsored by a Melbourne based travel company, she headed overseas as the only Australian representative in either Aerials, Moguls or Ballet (Acrobatics).
Whilst not truly competitive with her single back layout and single front tuck, she completed her rookie season finishing in 10th position, at that time the highest placing by an Australian winter athlete, male or female, in any winter sport. In 1990 Marshall won her first World Cup event. In 1992, she was crowned World Champion, with six World Cup victories. She was Australia’s flag bearer at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, where she was placed sixth in the women’s aerial skiing event – the nation’s best Olympic result at the time. She also competed in the Winter Olympics at Nagano in 1998. Marshall set several world records over the course of her skiing career, including becoming the first woman in history to score over 100 points on a single competition jump, with a score of 104.37. Her 17th career World Cup gold medal in 1998 tied her for the all time record for career World Cup aerial victories with Cannadian skier Marie Claude Asselin, who retired in 1984.
Marshall discovered current Australian aerial skier, David Morris
, while attending a gymnastics display at his local club, which is within her electorate of Forest Hill.
announced that Marshall had been nominated for preselection as a Labor candidate in the Victorian state seat of Forest Hill. In the election that followed, she won the seat of Forest Hill with a swing of more than 10%.
On 27 February 2003, twelve days after giving birth to her first child, daughter Charlotte Louise, Marshall attended the first sitting of parliament following the 2002 election. When official proceedings commenced whilst she was still breastfeeding her newborn, the Speaker of the House ejected Charlotte (and therefore her mother) from the chamber as "only MPs and certain parliamentary staff are allowed in the House during sitting times". The controversy that followed was headline news and led to widespread debate in the community regarding the merits of women breastfeeding in public
or at workplaces.
Marshall was re-elected for the seat of Forest Hill in the 2006 state election. She lost her seat in 2010, with local residents citing her choice to live in Richmond rather than the electorate and media reportage of avoiding interviews as key reasons. A statement issued by her office on election day stated "Kirstie will not be doing any interviews today or tonight. She will not be having any (photo) shots done during the day or at her function tonight."
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n aerial skier and Victorian state politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Marshall was an ex-gymnast who became an aerial skier at Mount Buller, Victoria
Mount Buller, Victoria
Mount Buller is a town in Victoria, Australia east of Melbourne on the slopes of Mount Buller . Primarily a resort town, Mount Buller is popular with snowsports enthusiasts in winter due to its close location to Melbourne...
. During her skiing career Marshall won over 40 World Cup medals, including 17 World Cup gold medals. Marshall competed in aerial skiing as a demonstration sport at the 1992 Winter Olympics, and as a medal event in 1994 and 1998, where she came sixth and fourteenth respectively.
In December 2002, aged 33, Marshall was elected as a Member of Parliament in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
for the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
.
On 26 February 2003, she was ejected from the Lower House chamber for breastfeeding her 11-day-old baby, Charlotte Louise. A section of the Parliamentary rules, namely Standing Order 30, states: "Unless by order of the House, no Member of this House shall presume to bring any stranger into any part of the House appropriated to the Members of this House while the House, or a Committee of the whole House, is sitting." As there is no age limit to ‘strangers in the House’ (non-elected persons), only MPs and certain parliamentary staff are allowed in the House during sitting times.
Subsequently, the Speaker of the House set aside a room in which female MPs can feed their children without violating the Standing Orders.
Early life & sporting career
Marshall was born in Melbourne on 21/04/69 and grew up in Black Rock, VictoriaBlack Rock, Victoria
Black Rock is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 18 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Black Rock had a population of 5796.-History:...
with parents, Ron and Anne, older sister, Sascha and younger brother, Carey. She attended Black Rock Primary school (Prep - Yr 6), then Mentone Girls High School (now Mentone Secondary College) before transferring to Firbank Girls' Grammar School
Firbank Girls' Grammar School
Firbank Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school, situated in the suburb of Brighton, in the bayside area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
in Yr 9. She moved to Taylors College for Yr 12.
Marshall, along with her siblings, started skiing from the age of 4 at the Mount Baw Baw ski resort in Victoria, Australia. In 1981 the family became regular skiers at the Mount Buller ski resort, one of the largest ski resorts in Victoria. In 1987 she joined Team Buller, a Freestyle ski team run by Geoff Lipshut, Peter Braun, Eyal Talmore, Tim Skate and David Freedman based on Mount Buller.
The creation of a skier-exchange program for Freestyle Aerialists saw three Japanese skiers spend the 1987 winter in Mount Buller one of whom, Takayo Yokoyama, was nearing the end of his career and was interested in becoming an International coach. With little prospects in his native country, the chance meeting in Australia saw Marshall being offered a four month scholarship in Inawashiro, Listel Ski Fantasia, the center for Freestyle Skiing in Japan, with Takayo as her coach.
Following the 1988 Australian Freeslyle competition where she placed first, Marshall decided to follow the European winter and compete on the four month long World Cup Season. Sponsored by a Melbourne based travel company, she headed overseas as the only Australian representative in either Aerials, Moguls or Ballet (Acrobatics).
Whilst not truly competitive with her single back layout and single front tuck, she completed her rookie season finishing in 10th position, at that time the highest placing by an Australian winter athlete, male or female, in any winter sport. In 1990 Marshall won her first World Cup event. In 1992, she was crowned World Champion, with six World Cup victories. She was Australia’s flag bearer at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, where she was placed sixth in the women’s aerial skiing event – the nation’s best Olympic result at the time. She also competed in the Winter Olympics at Nagano in 1998. Marshall set several world records over the course of her skiing career, including becoming the first woman in history to score over 100 points on a single competition jump, with a score of 104.37. Her 17th career World Cup gold medal in 1998 tied her for the all time record for career World Cup aerial victories with Cannadian skier Marie Claude Asselin, who retired in 1984.
Marshall discovered current Australian aerial skier, David Morris
David Morris (Australian aerial skier)
David John Morris was born on the 31st of August 1984 in Melbourne, Australia. He is an Australian Aerial/Freestyle Skier. He is currently the only male on the Australian Aerial Skiing Team, and therefore ranked #1 in Australia...
, while attending a gymnastics display at his local club, which is within her electorate of Forest Hill.
Political career
On 3 September 2002, Victorian State Premier Steve BracksSteve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
announced that Marshall had been nominated for preselection as a Labor candidate in the Victorian state seat of Forest Hill. In the election that followed, she won the seat of Forest Hill with a swing of more than 10%.
On 27 February 2003, twelve days after giving birth to her first child, daughter Charlotte Louise, Marshall attended the first sitting of parliament following the 2002 election. When official proceedings commenced whilst she was still breastfeeding her newborn, the Speaker of the House ejected Charlotte (and therefore her mother) from the chamber as "only MPs and certain parliamentary staff are allowed in the House during sitting times". The controversy that followed was headline news and led to widespread debate in the community regarding the merits of women breastfeeding in public
Breastfeeding in public
Breastfeeding in public deals with the social attitudes to nursing mothers breastfeeding their babies in a public or semi-public place and to laws which either deprive them of the right or which recognize their choice to do so....
or at workplaces.
Marshall was re-elected for the seat of Forest Hill in the 2006 state election. She lost her seat in 2010, with local residents citing her choice to live in Richmond rather than the electorate and media reportage of avoiding interviews as key reasons. A statement issued by her office on election day stated "Kirstie will not be doing any interviews today or tonight. She will not be having any (photo) shots done during the day or at her function tonight."
Olympic links
- Australia at the 1992 Winter OlympicsAustralia at the 1992 Winter OlympicsAustralia competed at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.23 athletes competed, participating in alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, figure skating, freestyle skiing, luge, short track speed skating and speed skating...
- Australia at the 1994 Winter OlympicsAustralia at the 1994 Winter OlympicsAustralia competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.Australia won a bronze medal in the men's 5000 metres short track relay, the first medal at the Winter Olympic Games for the nation...
- Australia at the 1998 Winter OlympicsAustralia at the 1998 Winter OlympicsAustralia competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.A total number of 24 athletes competed, participating in alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsleigh, cross-country skiing, figure skating, freestyle skiing, short-track speed skating and snowboarding, which appeared for the first time at the...
