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Tamara Smith
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][better source needed] Early life and educationChildhoodSmith'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] EducationSmith 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 careerSmith 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 careerFirst 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 politicsSmith 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
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