John Kaye

John Kaye (23 October 19552 May 2016) was an Australian politician. He was a Greens member New South Wales Legislative Council, first elected at the 2007 state election. He was also the party's candidate for the 2004 federal election for the Senate. He criticised electricity industry privatisation and was a strong advocate for renewable energy and energy efficiency. He advocated for free public education, public schools, and Colleges of Technical and Further Education (TAFE).

Early career

After gaining a Bachelor of Engineering and a Masters in Engineering Science at the University of Melbourne, Kaye worked as an engineer for the State Electricity Commission of Victoria.

Kaye earned a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. He was then a postdoctoral fellow at the Australian National University, and later an academic in electrical engineering at the University of New South Wales where he specialised in sustainable energy and greenhouse issues.

Political career

After leaving the Labor Party in the late 1980s, Kaye worked for independent community candidates and promotes what he saw as "sensible urban planning, genuine community consultation and participatory democracy." He joined the Greens Party in 1997.

At the 2007 state election he was elected as the second candidate on a Greens ticket headed by Lee Rhiannon.

Kaye's portfolio responsibilities included Premier & Cabinet, Treasury, Finance, Education and Training, Energy, Health Services, Science & Medical Research, Water Utilities, Fair Trading, Gaming and Racing, Infrastructure, and Commerce.

Death In February 2016, Kaye was diagnosed with cancer. He had been undergoing treatment, but died on 2 May 2016, aged 60.