Dean Smith (Australian politician)
Dean Anthony Smith (born 15 May 1969) is an Australian politician and Liberal Party member of the Australian Senate since 2012, representing Western Australia.[1]
Dean Smith | |
|---|---|
| Chief Government Whip in the Senate | |
| Assumed office 21 January 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | David Bushby |
| Senator for Western Australia | |
| Assumed office 2 May 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Judith Adams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Dean Anthony Smith 15 May 1969 Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
| Occupation | Politician |
Early life
Smith attended Mirrabooka Primary School and Mirrabooka Senior High School, later attending the University of Western Australia where he graduated with honours in political science.[2]
Politics
Smith joined the Liberal Party at the age of 17, and later worked as a policy adviser to Premier of Western Australia Richard Court. In 1998, he was a senior advisor to Prime Minister John Howard during the Coalition's 1998 federal election campaign. In 2010, he founded Smith & Duda Consulting, a political lobbying firm,[3] and also served as treasurer of the Liberal Party state branch in Western Australia.[4][5]
Senate
Smith was appointed to the Senate on 2 May 2012 by a joint sitting of the Parliament of Western Australia, to fill a casual vacancy caused by the death of Senator Judith Adams.[6]
Smith was the first openly-LGBTI member of the Parliament of Australia from the Liberal Party, and has supported same-sex marriage in Australia since the 2014 Sydney hostage crisis.[7] Prior to that, he opposed same-sex marriage and voted against it.[8] Smith introduced the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 to the Senate on 15 November and passed the Senate on 29 November 2017.[9]
Smith was appointed Chief Government Whip in the Senate on 21 January 2019.[10]
Smith is a member of a number of political and community organisations, including Australians for Constitutional Monarchy and the Australian National Flag Association.
Personal life
Smith is the son of a policeman and housewife and is originally from Mirrabooka.[11] He was the first person in his family to attend university.[11] He is an Anglican.[12]
References
- Hansard: Election of Senator, Parliament of Western Australia, 2 May 2012.
- Hansard: Election of Senator, Parliament of Western Australia, 2 May 2012.
- LinkedIn profile
- Guest, Debbie (23 April 2012). "Former Howard man steps into West Australian Senate seat (Subscription)". The Australian. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- Karp, Paul (29 November 2017). "Same-sex marriage bill passes in Australian Senate". the Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- "Dean Smith confirmed as WA's newest Senator". ABC News. 2 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- Knott, Matthew (20 February 2015). "Liberal MP Dean Smith's views on same-sex marriage turned at 30,000ft". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
- Smith voted very strongly against same-sex marriage equality
- "Legislative Tracker: Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017". Parliament of Australia. 15 November 2017.
- "It's a great honour to be chosen by my Liberal Senate colleagues to be the Chief Government Whip in the Senate. I am delighted to be joining the ranks of WA Liberals who have served in the office which includes Malcolm Scott, Reg Withers, Fred Chaney and John Panizza. #auspol". Dean Smith MP. Twitter. 21 January 2019.
- Taylor, Paige (6 May 2012). "New senator a 'constitutional revolutionary'". THE AUSTRALIAN. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- @deansmithwa (29 August 2017). "Proud to be an anglican. Congrats to WA's new Anglican Archbishop - grace, dignity and true leadership" (Tweet) – via Twitter.