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The [[2015 New South Wales state election|2015 State Election]] was a referendum on coal-seam gas, with the [[Bentley, New South Wales|Bentley]] Blockade that saw tens of thousands of people participate in a series of blockades in the Northern Rivers against exploratory drilling by the resources company Metgasco.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 March 2015 |title=NSW election: CSG hated by voters (unless they’re living with it) |url=https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/politics/nsw-election-csg-hated-by-voters-unless-theyre-living-with-it/news-story/7a57d803330170fe50f01a18d71e80ab |url-status=live |access-date=16 August 2024 |website=The Weekly Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Aidan Ricketts and Annie Kia |date=18 May 2014 |title=Enabling Emergence: The Bentley Blockade and the Struggle for a Gasfield Free Northern Rivers |url=https://commonslibrary.org/enabling-emergence-the-bentley-blockade-and-the-struggle-for-a-gasfield-free-northern-rivers/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref>
The [[2015 New South Wales state election|2015 State Election]] was a referendum on coal-seam gas, with the [[Bentley, New South Wales|Bentley]] Blockade that saw tens of thousands of people participate in a series of blockades in the Northern Rivers against exploratory drilling by the resources company Metgasco.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 March 2015 |title=NSW election: CSG hated by voters (unless they’re living with it) |url=https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/politics/nsw-election-csg-hated-by-voters-unless-theyre-living-with-it/news-story/7a57d803330170fe50f01a18d71e80ab |url-status=live |access-date=16 August 2024 |website=The Weekly Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Aidan Ricketts and Annie Kia |date=18 May 2014 |title=Enabling Emergence: The Bentley Blockade and the Struggle for a Gasfield Free Northern Rivers |url=https://commonslibrary.org/enabling-emergence-the-bentley-blockade-and-the-struggle-for-a-gasfield-free-northern-rivers/ |url-status=live |access-date=16 August 2024}}</ref>


Smith was preselected to stand as the Greens candidate for the [[Electoral district of Ballina|state division of Ballina]] at the [https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/nsw/2015/guide/ball 2015 election against Nationals candidate Kris Beavis], after the retirement of Nationals incumbent [[Don Page (politician)|Don Page]].
Smith was preselected to stand as the Greens candidate for the [[Electoral district of Ballina|state division of Ballina]] at the 2015 election against Nationals candidate Kris Beavis<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/nsw/2015/guide/ball |title=Ballina - NSW Election 2015 |date= |accessdate=2024-08-26 |quote= |publisher=[[ABC News (Australia)]] }}</ref>, after the retirement of Nationals incumbent [[Don Page (politician)|Don Page]].


Smith won Ballina at the [[2015 New South Wales state election|2015 State election]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hasham|first1=Nicole|title=NSW Election 2015: Greens celebrate strong inner west showing against Labor|url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-state-election-2015/nsw-election-2015-greens-celebrate-strong-inner-west-showing-against-labor-20150328-1ma2j5.html|accessdate=28 March 2015|work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> with 27 percent of the primary vote, an increase of 4.5 percent, and 53.1 percent of the [[Two-party-preferred vote|two-candidate preferred]] vote after out-polling Labor party's Paul Spooner following the allocation of preferences.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-08-25 |title=NSW State Election Results 2015 - State Electoral District of Ballina |url=https://pastvtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/SGE2015/la/ballina/cc/fp_summary/ |archive-url= |access-date=2023-10-13 |website=NSW Electoral Commission}}</ref> Smith is the first woman to hold the seat of Ballina, and the first regional Greens MP to represent a regional lower house seat in Australia,<ref name=":0" /> and was joined two other Greens, [[Jamie Parker (politician)|Jamie Parker]] and [[Jenny Leong]] in the lower house of the [[New South Wales Parliament]].
Smith won Ballina at the [[2015 New South Wales state election|2015 State election]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hasham|first1=Nicole|title=NSW Election 2015: Greens celebrate strong inner west showing against Labor|url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-state-election-2015/nsw-election-2015-greens-celebrate-strong-inner-west-showing-against-labor-20150328-1ma2j5.html|accessdate=28 March 2015|work=The Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> with 27 percent of the primary vote, an increase of 4.5 percent, and 53.1 percent of the [[Two-party-preferred vote|two-candidate preferred]] vote after out-polling Labor party's Paul Spooner following the allocation of preferences.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-08-25 |title=NSW State Election Results 2015 - State Electoral District of Ballina |url=https://pastvtr.elections.nsw.gov.au/SGE2015/la/ballina/cc/fp_summary/ |archive-url= |access-date=2023-10-13 |website=NSW Electoral Commission}}</ref> Smith is the first woman to hold the seat of Ballina, and the first regional Greens MP to represent a regional lower house seat in Australia,<ref name=":0" /> and was joined two other Greens, [[Jamie Parker (politician)|Jamie Parker]] and [[Jenny Leong]] in the lower house of the [[New South Wales Parliament]].


=== Second term (2019 - 2023) ===
=== Second term (2019 - 2023) ===

Revision as of 04:18, 26 August 2024

Tamara Smith
MP
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
for Ballina
Incumbent
Assumed office
28 March 2015
Preceded byDon Page
Personal details
Born19 October[1]
NationalityAustralian
Political partyGreens New South Wales
Alma materUniversity of New South Wales
University of Sydney
Southern Cross University
OccupationSecondary school teacher
ProfessionSolicitor
Websitewww.tamarasmith.com.au

Tamara Francine Smith is an Australian politician, representing Ballina in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Greens since 2015.[2]

Smith is the first non-conservative to represent the Ballina area in 88 years, first woman to hold the seat of Ballina, and the first regional Greens MP to represent a regional lower house seat in Australia.[3]

Early life and education

Childhood

Smith's father was an American corporate manager and their Australian mother worked as a secretary, and they are one of four children - sisters Natasha and Nicole and brother Dominic who is a novellist[4] [5] The year following her parents' separation, the family home burned down and Smith's mother suffered a stroke and became disabled; the family struggled to make ends meet.[6]

Smith's ancestors have lived in the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales for four generations.[7]

Smith grew up in Hazelbrook in the Blue Mountains, and in Manly in Sydney, before moving to Byron Bay when they were 15.[4]

When Smith moved to the North Coast, they got involved in grassroots environmental movements to save our north-east forests and Fraser Island, to stop uranium mining at Roxby Downs and to stave off mega-development in the Northern Rivers—the home of their maternal great-great-grandparents, greatgrandparents and grandmother, Josephine Frances Hegerty.

Smith has one child, a daughter.[8]

Education

Smith undertook at Bachelor of Arts at the University of NSW, before obtaining a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Sydney.[9]

Smith has also completed a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) at Southern Cross University.[citation needed]

Pre-parliamentary career

Smith was a secondary school teacher for many years in Ballina at Southern Cross High School, the Western suburbs of Brisbane and remote New South Wales,[7] such as Broken Hill. Smith has been a member of the NSW Teachers Federation since 2002 and became the first female President of the Barrier Teachers Association in 60 years in 2002.[10] Smith has also been admitted as a solicitor in NSW in 2010,[11] and worked in Redfern and the Northern Territory.[4]

Smith has also worked in the areas of social justice, Aboriginal affairs and public education advocacy and has a keen research interest in women’s rights and global warming.[12]

Political career

First term (2015 - 2019)

The 2015 State Election was a referendum on coal-seam gas, with the Bentley Blockade that saw tens of thousands of people participate in a series of blockades in the Northern Rivers against exploratory drilling by the resources company Metgasco.[13][14]

Smith was preselected to stand as the Greens candidate for the state division of Ballina at the 2015 election against Nationals candidate Kris Beavis[15], after the retirement of Nationals incumbent Don Page.

Smith won Ballina at the 2015 State election[16] with 27 percent of the primary vote, an increase of 4.5 percent, and 53.1 percent of the two-candidate preferred vote after out-polling Labor party's Paul Spooner following the allocation of preferences.[17] Smith is the first woman to hold the seat of Ballina, and the first regional Greens MP to represent a regional lower house seat in Australia,[3] and was joined two other Greens, Jamie Parker and Jenny Leong in the lower house of the New South Wales Parliament.

Second term (2019 - 2023)

Smith retained the seat of Ballina, with an increase of 4.7 percent of the primary vote and a 2.3 percent two-party swing in her favour, in the 2019 election.[18] Smith was the only major candidate calling for a halt to major developments, including the bypass and bus interchange, and a total opposition to the contentious West Byron urban development.[19]

Smith's portfolios included Climate Change, Regional Communities (including Regional Development), Tourism, Education, and Region: North Coast.[10]

Third term (2023 - ongoing)

Smith was re-elected as the Member for Ballina for a third time at the 2023 election, pushing the Nationals into second place, and with the overwhelming preference for her over the Nationals and Labor with a further increase of 4.0 percent of the primary vote.[20]

Smith is the portfolio holder for Education, Early Learning, Skills & TAFE, Premier & Cabinet, Older People, Veterans, Tourism and Disaster Relief, and is the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the Office of the Valuer General.[9]

Outside of politics

Smith has also been an Adjunct Professor in the School of Law and Justice at Southern Cross University since 2023[21], and is a member of their Advisory Board.

References

  1. ^ "Member for Ballina". Hansard. 17 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Ms Tamara Francine Smith, MP". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Tamara Smith MP for Ballina". Greens NSW. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Smith, Tamara (6 May 2016). "Legislative Assembly Hansard - 12 May 2015 Inaugural Speeches". Parliament of NSW. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  5. ^ Baum, Caroline (21 May 2016). "Dominic Smith". The Age.
  6. ^ Baum, Caroline (21 May 2016). "Dominic Smith (book review)". The Age.
  7. ^ a b Smith, Tamara (6 May 2016). "Legislative Assembly Hansard - 12 May 2015 Inaugural Speeches". Parliament of NSW. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  8. ^ Smith, Tamara (6 May 2016). "Legislative Assembly Hansard - 12 May 2015 Inaugural Speeches". Parliament of NSW. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Adjunct Professor Tamara Francine SMITH, BA.DipEd, LLB (Hons), GDLP MP". NSW Parliament. Retrieved 17 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ a b "Tamara Smith MP". Traffic Light Election Guide. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Tamara Smith". Greens NSW. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  12. ^ Smith, Tamara (6 May 2016). "About Tamara Smith". Tamara Smith. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  13. ^ "NSW election: CSG hated by voters (unless they're living with it)". The Weekly Times. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "Enabling Emergence: The Bentley Blockade and the Struggle for a Gasfield Free Northern Rivers". 18 May 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2024. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Ballina - NSW Election 2015". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  16. ^ Hasham, Nicole. "NSW Election 2015: Greens celebrate strong inner west showing against Labor". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  17. ^ "NSW State Election Results 2015 - State Electoral District of Ballina". NSW Electoral Commission. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  18. ^ "NSW State Election Result 2019 - State Electoral District of Ballina". NSW Electoral Commission. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  19. ^ Lovejoy, Hans (25 March 2019). "Greens MP returned with increased majority". The Echo. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  20. ^ "NSW State Election Results 2023 - Electoral District of Ballina". NSW Electoral Commission. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Adjunct staff". Southern Cross University. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by Member for Ballina
2015–present 		Incumbent
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