Stephen Smith (Australian politician)

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix = The Honourable
name = Stephen Smith
honorific-suffix =
MP

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order = 39th Foreign Minister of Australia
term_start = 3 December 2007
term_end =
primeminister = Kevin Rudd
predecessor = Alexander Downer
successor =
constituency = Perth
majority =
birth_date = birth date and age|1955|12|5
birth_place = Narrogin, Western Australia
death_date =
death_place =
nationality = flagicon|Australia Australian
party = Australian Labor Party
spouse =
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater = University of Western Australia
University of London
occupation =
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Stephen Francis Smith (born 12 December 1955), is the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1993, representing the Division of Perth, Western Australia.

Smith was born in Narrogin, Western Australia, and was educated at the University of Western Australia and the University of London, where he gained a master's degree in law. He was a solicitor, lecturer and tutor before entering politics. He was principal private secretary to the Western Australian Attorney-General, Joe Berinson 1983-87 and State Secretary of the Western Australian Labor Party 1987-90 [ "Stephen Smith - elected secretary of the WA branch of ALP" Labor voice, Vol.9, no.4 (July/Aug 1987), p.1,] From 1990 to 1993 he was an adviser to Paul Keating, first as Treasurer, then as Prime Minister. However he fell out with Mr Keating after entering the Parliament and publicly criticised the 1993 federal budget.

Smith was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry from March 1996 until the November 2007 elections, which were won by the Labor party. He was Shadow Minister for Trade 1996-1997, for Resources and Energy 1997-98, for Communications 1998-2001, Health and Ageing 2001-03 and Immigration 2003-2004. He was Shadow Minister for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations from October 2004 until December 2006, when he was appointed to the position of Shadow Minister for Education and Training.

During the leadership crisis in the Labor Party in 2003, Smith was a prominent supporter of his fellow Western Australian, Kim Beazley, and his name was mentioned as a possible future leader. He again supported Beazley in the leadership contest which followed the resignation of Mark Latham in January 2005, which saw Beazley return to the leadership.

Smith was appointed as the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Kevin Rudd's cabinet on 3 December 2007 following Labor's win in the 2007 election. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/29/2105169.htm Rudd hands out portfolios] , Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 29 November 2007.]

Photo gallery

References

Further reading

* "Stephen Smith - biographical information, appointed senior adviser to Paul Keating" Labor voice, Vol.12, no.4 (Dec 1990), p.1-2.
* "Stephen Smith - former W.A. A.L.P. state secretary moves to Paul Keating's staff" Australian Business, 5 Dec. 1990, p. 30

ee also

* First Rudd Ministry

External links

Persondata
NAME=Smith, Stephen Francis
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH=12 December 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH=Narrogin, Western Australia, Australia
DATE OF DEATH=Living
PLACE OF DEATH=