Kerry Chikarovski was born in Sydney in 1956, the daughter of Greg and Jill Bartels. She was educated at the United Nations International School, Our Lady of Dolours, Chatswood, Monte Sant' Angelo, North Sydney and the University of Sydney (BEc LLB). She was President of the Sydney University Law Society 1978-1979 and a Director of the University of Sydney Union 1977-1978.

After graduation, she worked as a solicitor in private practice 1980-1985 and as a Solicitor and Instructor at the College of Law, 1988-1991. She married Chris Chikarovski in 1979 (marriage dissolved) and has two children.

Kerry Chikarovski ran unsuccessfully in the seat of Cabramatta in 1981, but won preselection for the Liberal Party for the safe seat of Lane Cove in 1991 on the retirement of the Attorney General, John Dowd, later Justice Dowd. She held the seat until 2003, when she resigned from Parliament.

Kerry Chikarovski is the only woman ever to have held the Leadership of the Opposition in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. After her retirement from politics, she published her autobiography, Chika, in 2004. Since 2003 she had been Director, Infrastructure and Planning Australia Pty Ltd.

Her parliamentary career is as follows:

• Minister for Consumer Affairs and Assistant minister for Education 1992-1993
• Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment 1993-1995
• Minister for the Status of Women 1993-1995
• Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party 1994-1995
• Shadow Minister for the Environment 1997-1998
• Shadow Minister for the Arts and Women 1999-2002
• Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Major Projects 2002-2003
• Leader of the Opposition 1999-2002

Sources used to compile this entry: Putting Skirts on the Sacred Benches: Women Candidates for the New South Wales Parliament, Australian Women's Archives Project, 2006, http://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/pssb/home.html; Liberal Party of Australia NSW Division, State General Election 1981 Biographies of Candidates, August 1981; Who's Who in Australia 2005; http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/web/common.nsf/key/Archives_MemberPage {former members} (accessed 6 October 2005).