Rare Cancers Australia performs incredible work supporting so many people in need and advocating for a better future of patients with rare cancers. I have seen firsthand, over more than a decade, the fantastic work they do and have been pleased to support them in some of their endeavours. I am honoured to be their Patron.
Hon Tony Smith holds a Bachelor of the Arts (Hons) and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne. Tony was a Member of the Australian House of Representatives from 2001 until his retirement at the 2022 federal election.
During his parliamentary service, he chaired a number of parliamentary committees including the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, the Joint Standing Committee on Public Accounts and Audit, and the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Corporations and Financial Services.
In 2007, Tony was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister John Howard. He also served in several Shadow Ministerial portfolios whilst in Opposition.
In August 2015, Tony was elected the 30th Speaker of the House of Representatives and was re-elected to the office following the 2016 and 2019 federal elections. His nomination in 2019 was seconded by a Member of the Opposition. He is only the second Speaker to be elected unopposed by the House on three consecutive occasions, the first being Australia’s first Speaker, Sir Fredrick Holder. In July 2022, Tony announced he would not re-contest the next election and in November he stepped down as Speaker to return to the backbench and focus on his local electorate for the remainder of the 46th Parliament.
Tony was awarded the Accountability Round Tables’ John Button Award for integrity in performing his duties as Speaker in 2019, and in 2022 he was named the McKinnon Political Leader of the Year, recognised for his work in consistently upholding Parliamentary standards and ensuring bipartisan accountability within the Parliament.
In early September 2022, Tony was appointed a Professor in the Practice of Politics at the Australian National University. The position is part-time. He is also Executive Co-Chair of the bi-partisan Australian-American Leadership Dialogue.
