Kennedy's father, Tom, was a public servant and worked part-time as a football and cricket writer for The Sunday Times.
In 1984, he became Press Secretary to Deputy Premier of Western Australia Mal Bryce,[1][4][5][6] and rejoined The West Australian from 1986-1990.
[3] He then joined the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, where presented the Morning and Drive programs on ABC Radio Perth.
He became state political reporter for ABC News in 2000 and held the post until he retired from daily journalism in 2010.
[8] Kennedy wrote Tales from Boom Town, a book about the premiers of Western Australia from David Brand to Colin Barnett.