Dean Smith

Who is Dean Smith?

Dean Anthony Smith is an Australian politician and Liberal Party member of the Australian Senate since 2012, representing Western Australia.

Smith joined the Liberal Party at the age of 17, and later worked as a policy advisor to Premier of Western Australia Richard Court. In 1998, he was a senior advisor to Prime Minister John Howard during the Coalition's 1998 federal election campaign. In 2009, he founded Smith & Duda Consulting, a political lobbying firm, and also served as treasurer of the Liberal Party state branch in Western Australia.

Smith was appointed to the Senate on 2 May 2012 by a joint sitting of the Parliament of Western Australia, to fill a casual vacancy caused by the death of Senator Judith Adams. Smith is the first openly gay Liberal member of the Australian Parliament. He opposes same-sex marriage.

Smith is a member of a number of political and community organisations, including Australians for Constitutional Monarchy and Australian National Flag Association.