Educated at Mentone Girls High School, Firbank Anglican Grammar School and Taylors College, Kirstie Marshall commenced skiing in 1986. In her first international season she was Australia's top ranking winter sportsperson, finishing 10th in the world. In 1992 she was crowned Grand Prix champion. Two years later Marshall was Australia's flag bearer at the 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. In 1997 Marshall became Australia's first world champion in a winter sport, and she competed in the Winter Olympics at Nagano in 1998. Marshall set several world records over the course of her skiing career and became the first woman in history to score over 100 points on a single competition jump.

Marshall was Director of the Olympic Winter Institute before being elected to the seat of Forest Hill in 2002, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She was re-elected in 2006. Today, she is a Member of the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee and is involved with over forty charities annually. A practiced public speaker, she makes regular television appearances.

Kirstie Marshall was awarded an OAM for her contribution to skiing and sports administration on the Queens Birthday Honour List in 2003. She is married with two children.

Sources used to compile this entry: http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/handbook; http://www.saxton.com.au; http://www.vic.alp.org.au; http://www.skiingaustralia.org.au; NB: The National Library of Australia holds biographical cuttings for Kirstie Marshall, Record ID: 1970956.