Susan Close

Close earned a PhD in political science at Flinders University where she had studied French, Italian and biology as well as politics in her BA. She graduated from Blackwood High School in 1984 in French, German, Modern History, Classics, and Biology.

Her parents were academics at Flinders University (father in History, mother in French) and her only sibling, brother Stephen, works in international development and aid. Her parents met at Oxford University and migrated to Australia to work at Flinders University in its early days.

She was active in the environment movement during her university years, including roles with Greenpeace, the Wilderness Society SA and the SA Conservation Council. She participated in the establishment of both the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary and International Bird Sanctuary in the Port River estuary.

She worked as a public servant from 2003 to 2011, largely in the environment department. She previously was the head of student services at the University of Adelaide.

Close has two children with her partner Declan.

Close retained the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Port Adelaide for Labor at the 2012 by-election with a 42.3 percent primary and a 52.9 percent two-candidate-preferred vote.[1][2] The by-election was held after the resignation of the previous Labor incumbent Kevin Foley.[3] She was re-elected with two-party-preferred votes above 60 percent at the 2014 election[1] and the 2018 election.[4][5]

Close has chaired two parliamentary committees: Sustainable Farming Practices, and Dogs and Cats as Companion Animals. She has also been a member of two other parliamentary committees: Port Augusta Power Stations, and Aboriginal Lands.[6] She introduced a private members bill for equal marriage in 2013 but was unsuccessful.[7]

Close entered the Weatherill Ministry in March 2014, initially as the Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade and the Minister for the Public Sector. After Martin Hamilton-Smith joined the cabinet she served as the Minister for Automotive Transformation and the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation. She was the Minister for Education and Child Development from 2015 to 2018, and the Minister for Higher Education and Skills from 2016 to 2018.[6]

After the 2018 election, Peter Malinauskas became Leader of the Opposition and succeeded Jay Weatherill who had resigned as Labor leader, with Close as deputy, following a Labor caucus meeting on 9 April 2018.[8][9][10]

Close is the Labor spokesperson for Climate Change, Environment and Water, Higher Education and Industry. She holds adjunct professorships with both Flinders University in the College of Business, Government and Law, and the University of South Australia.

• Parliamentary Profile: SA Parliament website
• Parliamentary Profile: SA Labor website