Kerryanne Liddle, as senator in 2022, South Australia's first Aboriginal female federal or state MP

South Australian senator Kerryanne Liddle worked in journalism and public relations in Adelaide and was a member of several boards related to Indigenous issues.

Kerryanne Liddle in 2022 became the first female Indigenous parliamentarian at state or federal level from South Australia when she was elected to the Australian senate as a Liberal party member.

An Arrente woman, Liddle was born and raised in Alice Springs, one of five children of construction worker Geoff and Jean Liddle. Her sister Leanne was the first Aboriginal woman to become a police officer in South Australia and her aunt Lorraine Liddle was the first Indigenous person as a barrister in the Northern Territory.

Liddle attended a public high school in Alice Springs and studied at Roseworthy Agricultural College in Suth Australia, before briefly working as a jillaroo. As a mature-age student, she completed a bachelor of arts in management at the University of South Australia and a master of business administration from the University of Adelaide. Liddle worked as a journalist with the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), rural television, and Channel 7 Adelaide. She later set up her own public relations business, Precise Media Management, in Adelaide.

In 2010, Liddle served on the expert panel for the review of Australian government investment in the Indigenous broadcasting and media sector. Liddle was appointed Santos Limited’s Aboriginal participation manager in 2011. She later worked for Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia as a manager at the Ayers Rock Resort, in change of 400 Indigenous employees.

Liddle served on the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress board for more 18 years. She also was chair of Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute in Adelaide on the boards of the South Australian housing trust, Aboriginal Hostels Ltd and Indigenous Business Australia, and as a member of the councils of the University of Adelaide and University of South Australia. 

Liddle was a member of the Australian Labor Party from 2006 to 2009, before joining the Liberal Party. In 2019, Liddle began working as a staffer for South Australian senator Anne Ruston. She was a candidate for the vice presidency of the Liberal Party state division in 2020 but withdrew due to illness. In 2021, Liddle won preselection for the third position on the Liberal Party's senate ticket in South Australia at the 2022 election. She was aligned with the party's moderate faction, although her preselection win over fellow moderate Rachel Swift was largely due to support from the party's conservatives.

Liddle was a prominent player in the No campaign in the 2023 referendum on Aboriginal recognition and a Voice to parliament in the Australian Constituion.