Tony Smith (Victorian politician)

Anthony David Hawthorn (Tony) Smith (born 13 March 1967) is an Australian politician who has been a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2001, representing the Division of Casey, Victoria. He was born in Melbourne, to parents Alan Smith, a Chemistry teacher, and Noel Smith, a medical secretary. Smith was the youngest child, with two older sisters: Christine (born 1960) and Heather (born 1962). He was educated first at Kerrimuir Primary School in Box Hill North before attending Carey Baptist Grammar School in Kew, and then later at the University of Melbourne, where he was president of the Melbourne University Liberal Club, and is now an honorary life member. Along with Sophie Mirabella he has been one of the strongest advocates for voluntary student unionism in the Parliament.

After completing his education, he was a Research Assistant at the Institute of Public Affairs, a conservative think-tank, before becoming first a Media Adviser and then a Senior Political Adviser to Peter Costello, the then Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and Treasurer.

He was interviewed extensively in the ABC documentary The Howard Years.

In parliament

On 23 January 2007, Smith was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, John Howard. He managed to hold his seat of Casey by a considerable margin at the federal election in November of that year, although the Liberal-National Coalition was defeated. On 22 September 2008, Smith was appointed Shadow Assistant Treasurer by Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull.^[1] Smith had previously been Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training. He was appointed Shadow Minister for Communications in a reshuffle which took place on 8 December 2009.^[2]

In the new Abbott shadow ministry announced after the August 2010 election, Smith was appointed to the position of Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Tax Reform and Deputy Chairman, Coalition Policy Development Committee.^[3]

When Malcolm Turnbull's hold on the Liberal leadership became terminal it was speculated that Smith was part of a "two-Tony" ticket in which Smith would be the running mate of Tony Abbott in a leadership challenge. Although Abbott successfully challenged Turnbull for the Liberal leadership on 1 December 2009, Smith was not Abbott's running mate, and Julie Bishop remained deputy under Abbott.

References

• The Hon Tony Smith MP, Official Parliament website biography, retrieved January 2008
• Liberal party of Australia, Shadow Ministry Members for the Liberal Party of Australia, Retrieved on 2007-6-12.
• Tony Smith-Liberal Member for Casey, Retrieved 28 May 2010

External links

• Personal website