Kay was born in a small country town in 1949 in North Queensland. Her father was a timber cutter and her mother a school teacher. She has a Social Work Degree from the University of Queensland, a Masters Degree in Sociology from the University of Copenhagen and a PhD in Medical Sociology from the University of Queensland. Kay is a social scientist with extensive experience in the public sector in medical and social justice settings in both Australia and Denmark. Her earlier experience was gained in the mental health sector in Denmark. Upon returning to Australia in 1980, she again worked in mental health before helping to set up community services for people looking after a loved one in the home. Services of this nature were very sparse across remote areas of the state. This organization has since become national - called Carers Australia. There was a significant reform of the Justice System by the Queensland State Government following the Fitzgerald Enquiry into police corruption in 1989. As Director of Crime Prevention Research at the Queensland University of Technology (1990-97) she conducted evaluations for projects such as Queensland Police Service Police Beat Program and the Queensland Police Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Police Liaison Scheme. She is now living in a small country town in Outback Queensland engaged in writing, community work and education.