Tamara Smith
Tamara Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Ballina | |
| Assumed office 28 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Don Page |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 October[1] |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Greens New South Wales |
| Alma mater | University of New South Wales University of Sydney Southern Cross University |
| Occupation | Secondary school teacher |
| Profession | Solicitor |
| Website | www |
Tamara Francine Smith, an Australian politician, is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Ballina 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]
Previous to being the Member for Ballina, Tamara worked as a secondary school teacher for many years both in Ballina and Central Australia before becoming a solicitor in 2012. Tamara has also been an Adjunct Professor in the School of Law and Justice at Southern Cross University since 2023.
Novelist Dominic Smith is her brother.[4]
Political career
Smith was preselected to stand as the Greens candidate for the state division of Ballina at the 2015 election against Nationals candidate Kris Beavis, after the retirement of Nationals incumbent Don Page. Tamara finished 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.[5]
Tamara 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]
First term (2015 - 2019)
Smith won Ballina at the 2015 State election.[6] She joined two other Greens, Jamie Parker and Jenny Leong (member for Newtown) 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.[7]
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.[8]
In October 2023, Smith signed an open letter which condemned attacks against Israeli and Palestinian civilians during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[9]
Personal
Smith grew up in the Blue Mountains and in Sydney. Her father was an American corporate manager, her Australian mother worked as a secretary. Smith is one of four children - 2 sisters Nicole and Natalie and brother Dominic.[10] 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.[11]
Smith was a secondary school teacher for many years in Ballina, West Brisbane and Central Australia before becoming a solicitor in 2012. 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]
Tamara is an adjunct professor in the School of Law and Justice at Southern Cross University, and a member of their Advisory Board.
Smith's ancestors have lived in the Northern Rivers area for four generations. She has campaigned against the Howard government's WorkChoices scheme and coal seam gas.[13]
Smith has one child, a daughter.[14]
References
- ^ "Member for Ballina". Hansard. 17 October 2019.
- ^ "Ms Tamara Francine Smith, MP". Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Tamara Smith MP for Ballina". Greens NSW. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ Baum, Caroline (21 May 2016). "Dominic Smith". The Age.
- ^ "NSW State Election Results 2015 - State Electoral District of Ballina". NSW Electoral Commission. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ Hasham, Nicole. "NSW Election 2015: Greens celebrate strong inner west showing against Labor". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
- ^ "NSW State Election Result 2019 - State Electoral District of Ballina". NSW Electoral Commission. 23 March 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ "NSW State Election Results 2023 - Electoral District of Ballina". NSW Electoral Commission. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
- ^ "'Catastrophic crisis': NSW politicians release open letter supporting Palestinian communities". ABC News. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Smith, Tamara (6 May 2016). "Legislative Assembly Hansard - 12 May 2015 Inaugural Speeches". Parliament of NSW. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
- ^ Baum, Caroline (21 May 2016). "Dominic Smith (book review)". The Age.
- ^ Smith, Tamara (6 May 2016). "About Tamara Smith". Tamara Smith. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Tamara Smith for Ballina". www.tamarasmith.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015.
- ^ Smith, Tamara (6 May 2016). "Legislative Assembly Hansard - 12 May 2015 Inaugural Speeches". Parliament of NSW. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
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