Kaye grew up in the Goulburn Valley where her family has lived since her grandparents migrated to Australia in the early 1900’s. Kaye’s family were farmers from Italy and throughout the former Yugoslavia. They chose the area in and around Shepparton to settle because of its great agricultural potential. They established a grape growing business in the area.
In 1973, at the age of 18, Kaye moved to Melbourne to train as a nurse (at a time when nursing and teaching were the main careers open to young country women) and married shortly after graduating. Kaye left full-time work to raise her two daughters returning to work when her children reached primary school.
Kaye was an active unionist as a nurse and in 1989 was elected State Secretary of the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) and National Vice-President of the Health Services Union.
As Health Union Secretary Kaye was at the forefront of defending vital services provided by health and community workers. Kaye worked closely with community groups and the then Labor State Opposition.
Kaye is particularly proud of the rebuilding of Victoria’s health and community services by the Labor Government since coming to office in 1999 - a mammoth task given their degraded state under Kennett.
Like much of Northern Victoria, the Goulburn Valley has a long labour tradition centred on the food preservation industry and in health, community services and transport. Kaye’s family has been part of that tradition. Her grandfather was a boilermaker and local union organiser and her sister Gail, who was also a nurse, was Secretary of the Australian Nurses Federation in South Australia for several years before herself being elected as an ALP member of the SA parliament.
Since representing the Northern Victoria Region Kaye, with her husband, has returned to live in Shepparton.