Recognition In 2003, she was made a Member of the Order of Australia, for service to the Parliament of Australia and to the community, particularly as an advocate for improved services and conditions affecting women. Sullivan was a relatively low-profile MP but in 1993 received national attention when ALP Treasurer John Dawkins taunted her by calling her "sweetheart" in Parliament, which outraged female MPs from Dawkins' own party. According to a study by the Parliamentary Library, Sullivan crossed the floor 20 times during her career, the most out of any woman during the period from 1950 to 2019. Each of those occasions occurred during her service in the Senate. Personal life From 1965 to 1969 Sullivan was married to Donald Maher. In 1972, he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a Brisbane hotel manager; he was released in 1987. Sullivan re-married in 1975 to Jim Gray, continuing to use her maiden name in parliament. They divorced in 1978 and in 1983 she married Bob Sullivan, a former U.S. Marine. She was widowed in 2008. After the conclusion of her political career, Sullivan has used the name "Kate" rather than "Kathy". References 1942 births Living people Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Moncrieff Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for Queensland Women members of the Australian House of Representatives Women members of the Australian Senate Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Centenary Medal Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia 21st-century Australian politicians 21st-century Australian women politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Australian schoolteachers University of Queensland alumni 20th-century Australian women politicians