Stephen Smith (Australian politician)
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| The Honourable Stephen Smith MP |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 3 December 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd |
| Preceded by | Alexander Downer |
| Constituency | Perth |
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| Born | December 5, 1955 Narrogin, Western Australia |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia University of London |
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 [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 has been a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry since March 1996. 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.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Stephen Smith - elected secretary of the WA branch of ALP Labor voice, Vol.9, no.4 (July/Aug 1987), p.1,
- ^ Rudd hands out portfolios, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 29 November 2007.
[edit] 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
[edit] See Also
 Stephen Smith in early 2005 |
 Stephen Smith in early 2008 |
 Robert Gates meets face-to-face with Stephen Smith |
 US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (2nd from left, Debra Cagan to his left) hosts a Pentagon meeting with Stephen Smith (right) in the Pentagon on 28 January 2008 |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
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| Preceded by Ric Charlesworth |
Member for Perth 1993 – present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Alexander Downer |
Minister for Foreign Affairs 2007 – present |
Incumbent |
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| Persondata | |
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| 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 |
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