Tim Smith (Australian politician)

Timothy Colin "Tim" Smith (born 15 October 1983) is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly since November 2014, representing the Legislative Assembly seat of Kew.^[1]

Early Life and Education

Tim Smith was born in Melbourne in 1983. Tim’s family has a background in small business. His great-grandfather founded Ferguson's Cakes in 1901, which became Ferguson Plarre under his grandfather in 1980. He grew up in Camberwell, Victoria and attended Scotch College, Melbourne and Rugby School in the United Kingdom.

Smith was accepted into the University of Melbourne and Ormond College where he undertook a Bachelor of Arts in History and Politics. During his time as an undergraduate he was a dedicated athlete, gaining selection to the Australian Rowing Team.

Tim's elite rowing career lasted five years. He represented Australia at three World Championships, two World Cups, and the Under 23 World Championships, winning a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships at Lake of Banyoles, Spain in the Men's Lightweight Eight. In 2005 he was selected in the Olympic class Lightweight Four, where he placed fourth at the World Championships. Because of this performance, he earned a full scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport. In the lead up to the 2006 World Championships in England he sustained a significant back injury which prevented him from seeking selection for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Smith then returned to the University of Melbourne where he undertook a Masters of International Politics. As part of this degree he was accepted into the Hansard Research Scholars Programme at the London School of Economics.

Career

Between 2007 and 2009 Tim worked as a political adviser for Shadow Ministers in both Australia and the United Kingdom, including; The Hon Michael O’Brien MLA, The Hon. Bruce Billson MP, and The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, whilst Turnbull was the Leader of the Opposition. When he was studying in London he was privileged to have worked as a researcher for the Rt Hon. David Davis MP, Shadow Home Secretary.

After his return from London in 2008 Tim was elected to the Council of the City of Stonnington and in 2009 he was elected the youngest ever Mayor of Stonnington. As Mayor, he successfully advocated against the previous State Labor Government’s extensions to the operation of “Clearways” on major suburban streets. The extension of “Clearway” operating hours was having an enormous impact on the revenues of small business owners in strip shopping areas, particularly in Armadale, Victoria and Kew, Victoria.

At the conclusion of his term as Mayor, Tim was employed as a consultant at a large international professional services firm, and in early 2012 he moved to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He began his time at PwC in the Management Consulting practice, at first in Economics and Policy and subsequently in Strategy, providing strategic advice to governments across Australia and New Zealand. In early 2013, Tim was fortunate to earn a promotion to the Office of the Executive Board of PwC Australia, based in Melbourne.

Throughout his time in the private sector, Tim remained active in policy debate. He appeared on ABC TV’s national affairs program The Drum, and he recently appeared on ABC 774 Jon Faine's Morning Show as a panellist on the Friday Wrap segment. He has also been published in national newspapers and magazines, including The Age, Herald Sun, and Spectator Australia.

Tim is an active member of our local community, particularly as a member of Canterbury Rotary, where he has regularly spent Sunday mornings raising money for charity at the Camberwell Market. Tim is also a proud member of the Kew RSL.

Smith was elected as the Member for Kew in November 2014 and as Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition in February 2015.

References