She has been a Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2014, representing the Electoral district of Carrum.

Kilkenny was born in Sydney, and attended schools in Hong Kong and the United States before returning to Australia.

[citation needed] She has worked as a legal officer or lawyer for organisations such as the Kimberley Land Council and the Australian Children's Television Foundation, and served on the boards of the Back to Back Theatre company and the National Theatre in St Kilda.

[1] Just prior to her election, she was head of the legal dispute resolution team at the ANZ Banking Group.

[13] In December 2024, Kilkenny was sworn in as the 56th Attorney-General of Victoria, in addition to continuing as Minister for Planning.