Warwick Smith (politician)
Warwick Leslie Smith AO is an Australian politician from Tasmania. He was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from December 1984 to March 1993 and again from March 1996 to October 1998, representing the Division of Bass, Tasmania.
Early life and education
Warwick Leslie Smith was born on 13 May 1954 in Launceston, Tasmania.He attended the Australian National University and University of Tasmania, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws.
Career
Smith first worked as a solicitor.He was elected to Parliament in 1984 and later held two ministries in John Howard's government: Minister for Sport, Territories and Local Government from March 1996 to October 1997, and then Minister for Family Services until October 1998.
Smith lost his seat in the 1998 general election to ALP candidate Michelle O'Byrne. He has since held several management positions in the corporate sector, including as an executive director of Macquarie Bank, head of the Australia China Business Council. He was chair of ANZ New South Wales and of the advisory board of Australian Equity Group, an investment company owned by Kerry Stokes, in 2007.
From July 2010 to April 2012, Smith was chairman of the Australian Sports Commission.
He chaired the Australia-China Council at the time of its winding up by the government in 2019, assuming the role of chair of the replacement agency, the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations. However he resigned a year later, after raising "concerns over the structure, independence, and effectiveness" of the new body.