Tony Smith (Victorian politician)

For other people named Tony Smith, see Tony Smith (disambiguation).

The Honourable
Tony Smith
Smith in 2017
30th Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
In office
10 August 2015 – 23 November 2021
DeputyBruce Scott
Mark Coulton
Kevin Hogan
Llew O'Brien
Preceded byBronwyn Bishop
Succeeded byAndrew Wallace
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Casey
In office
10 November 2001 – 11 April 2022
Preceded byMichael Wooldridge
Succeeded byAaron Violi
Personal details
Born
Anthony David Hawthorn Smith

(1967-03-13) 13 March 1967
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political partyLiberal
SpousePam Smith
Children2
EducationCarey Baptist Grammar School
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne
OccupationPolitical adviser

Anthony David Hawthorn Smith (born 13 March 1967) is an Australian politician who served as the 30th speaker of the House of Representatives from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party of Australia, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the division of Casey from 2001 until he stood down in 2022.

Early life

Smith was born in Melbourne on 13 March 1967. He is the youngest of three children born to Noel Patricia (née Bickford) and Alan Leslie Hawthorn Smith. His mother worked as a medical secretary and his father as a chemistry teacher.[1]

Smith attended Kerrimuir Primary School in Box Hill North and Carey Baptist Grammar School in Kew. He went on to study history and politics the University of Melbourne, graduating Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in 1990 and Bachelor of Commerce in 1992. He was president of the Melbourne University Liberal Club and while at university worked as a cook, rowing coach and history tutor.[1]

Political adviser

Smith was state president of the Australian Liberal Students' Federation in 1989. In the same year he began working part-time as a research assistant at the Institute of Public Affairs, writing for the IPA Review.[1] He served as president of the Liberal Party's Box Hill North branch from 1990 to 1995.[2]

Prior to the 1990 federal election, Smith joined the campaign of Peter Costello, the newly endorsed Liberal candidate for the Melbourne seat of Higgins. He worked for Costello for a decade, filling various roles including researcher, press secretary and senior political adviser during Costello's ascension from backbench MP to shadow cabinet minister to federal treasurer after the Coalition's 1996 election victory. He reportedly played a key role in developing the Liberal Party's case against Labor minister Ros Kelly during the sports rorts affair and later advised on the Howard government's introduction of the goods and services tax.[1]

Parliamentary politics

Smith first sought to enter parliament at the 1998 election, standing unsuccessfully for Liberal preselection in the seat of Casey. He was defeated in the ballot by incumbent Howard government minister Michael Wooldridge, who was transferring from a marginal seat.[1] Smith was elected to the House of Representatives at the 2001 election, retaining Casey for the Liberal Party after Wooldridge's retirement. He was re-elected in 2004.[2]

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.[3] Smith had previously been Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training.[4] He was appointed Shadow Minister for Communications in a reshuffle which took place on 8 December 2009.[5]

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.

Despite the speculation that they would make a leadership team in 2009, Abbott and Smith do not seem to be close as Abbott demoted Smith after the 2010 election. When Smith sought the speakership in 2015, it is understood that Abbott as Prime Minister backed rival contender Russell Broadbent as the Government's candidate for Speaker over Smith. In 2015, The Daily Telegraph reported that there was an "internal view" in the Liberal Party that Abbott blamed Smith for the Coalition's narrow loss at the 2010 election due to Smith's perceived mishandling of the Coalition's broadband policy when Shadow Communications Minister.[6]

In the new Abbott shadow ministry announced after the August 2010 election, Smith was appointed Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Tax Reform and Deputy chairman, Coalition Policy Development Committee.[7]

He was interviewed extensively in the ABC documentary The Howard Years.[8] On 14 July 2021 Smith issued a statement saying he would retire as Member for Casey at the end of the 46th Parliament.[9]

Speaker of the House

Following the resignation of Bronwyn Bishop as Speaker of the House of Representatives in August 2015 over entitlement rorts dating back a decade, the Liberal Party nominated Smith as the party's candidate to replace Bishop. The House of Representatives elected Smith unopposed.[10][11] He pledged to absent himself from the Liberal party room for the duration of his speakership to protect the neutrality of the chair.[12][13] He also eschewed the traditional full attire of the Speaker, instead continuing to wear an ordinary business suit. He was the second member for Casey to be elected as Speaker in just under 20 years, after Bob Halverson.

Smith was re-elected Speaker unopposed after the 2016 and 2019 federal elections. He was the first Speaker to be elected unopposed on three occasions since Frederick Holder, the inaugural holder of the position.[14] Due to his upcoming retirement from parliament, Smith resigned as Speaker on 23 November 2021.[15]

Post-politics

As of July 2025, Smith is working with the Australian American Leadership Dialogue as chief executive.[16][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wilks, Stephen (2025). "Smith, Anthony David (1967–)". Biographical Dictionary of the House of Representatives. Australian National University. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025 – via National Centre of Biography.
  2. ^ a b "Hon Tony Smith". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Coalition Shadow Ministry" (PDF). 22 September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Shadow Ministry 6 December 2007 – 22 September 2008" (PDF). Parliament of Australia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 December 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  5. ^ Rodgers, Emma (8 December 2009). "Conservatives dominate Abbott reshuffle". ABC News. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012.
  6. ^ "Speaker Tony Smith Fell Out Of Abbotts Favour During Patchy Broadband Dealings In 2010 Election". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  7. ^ peter_martin9335 (14 September 2010). "Abbott Shadow Ministry". Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2025 – via Scribd.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Brent, Peter (27 November 2008). "Rear vision". Inside Story. Archived from the original on 23 June 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  9. ^ Curtis, Katina and Bonyhady, Nick (28 October 2021). "Speaker Tony Smith to quit role in November before retiring at election". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  10. ^ Smith, Daniel (9 August 2015). "As it happened: Liberal MP Tony Smith voted as new Speaker of the House of Representatives". ABC News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Tony Smith elected as new Speaker". 9news.com.au. 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  12. ^ Henderson, Anna (10 August 2015). "Tony Smith elected new Speaker of the House of Representatives". ABC News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025.
  13. ^ Bourke, Latika (7 August 2015). "Two of the five Speaker candidates signal plans to skip party room meetings if elected". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  14. ^ Farnsworth, Malcolm (3 July 2019). "From Speaker to Speaker, the Parliament Matters". Meanjin. Archived from the original on 11 December 2024. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  15. ^ Evans, Jake (23 November 2021). "Andrew Wallace becomes new Speaker, taking on the 'difficult task' of replacing well-respected MP Tony Smith". ABC News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  16. ^ Hartcher, Peter (19 February 2022). "Former speaker Tony Smith to lead diplomatic initiative with US". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
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