The eldest of three boys, Kevin grew up in Gippsland where his parents ran a trucking business. Kevin attended the Rosedale Primary School and St Patrick's College, Sale. He was dux of year 12, school captain, recipient of the Sale RSL citizenship award, and winner of the Lions Youth of the Year regional final. Kevin also excelled at athletics, winning state and country sprinting championships.
Kevin studied law and arts at Melbourne University before completing a Master of Laws at Monash. During his studies, he worked part-time to support himself.
He was president of the National Association of University Colleges, edited the magazine National College Educational Review, and founded a lecture series to honour public leadership.
Graduating in 1979, Kevin was a research solicitor and co-ordinator of legal education, before serving as an Associate to Sir James Gobbo, then a Justice of the Victorian Supreme Court, and Governor of Victoria between 1997 and 2000.
Kevin became a barrister in 1985 and developed a keen interest in health law and bioethics. He served on ethics committees at the Lincoln Institute, St. Vincent's Hospital, the Mercy Hospital for Women, and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute.
Kevin was named Australian Young Lawyer of the Year for his community work in establishing a legal scheme for disaster victims, and for publishing a book for seniors about the law. During this time Kevin saw first-hand the impact of Labor policies. His concern to ensure that today's children have the same opportunity as his generation led him to give up a promising legal career to pursue his ideals though Parliament. He was elected the Federal Member for Menzies in 1991.
Kevin has written for major newspapers, including The Australian, The Age, Canberra Times, Herald-Sun and the Washington Times. He has published more than 50 magazine and journal articles, and edited and co-authored a number of books.
Kevin met his wife Margaret in 1974 while she was studying speech therapy at Lincoln Institute. They were married in 1979 and have three sons and two daughters. Kevin and Marg have worked together in a voluntary capacity as marriage educators for over ten years.