Stephen Francis Smith (born 12 December 1955) is an Australian former politician and diplomat serving as the 26th and current high commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom since 2023. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), he was the federal member of Parliament (MP) for the division of Perth from 1993 to 2013, serving in the Rudd and Gillard governments as minister for Foreign Affairs from 2007 to 2010, minister for Trade in 2010 and minister for Defence from 2010 to 2013.

Early life

Smith was born in Narrogin, Western Australia, and was educated at CBC Highgate, the University of Western Australia and the University of London, where he earned 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.Stephen Smith – elected secretary of the WA branch of ALP Labor voice, Vol.9, no.4 (July/Aug 1987), p.1, From 1990 to 1993 he was an adviser to Paul Keating, first when Keating was Treasurer, then when Keating was Prime Minister. He was instrumental in securing caucus support for Keating to defeat Bob Hawke for the Labor Party leadership in 1991 and thereby allowing Keating to ascend to the prime ministership.{{cite book|last=Watson|first=Don|title=Recollections of a Bleeding Heart|year=2003|publisher=Vintage Books|location=Australia|isbn=978-1-74166-827-8|page=37}}

Career

Smith was a member of the Opposition Shadow Ministry from March 1996 until the November 2007 elections, which were won by the Labor party. He was Shadow Minister for Trade 1996–97, for Resources and Energy 1997–98, for Communications 1998–2001, Health and Ageing 2001–03 and Immigration 2003–04. 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. As early as 2002 his name had been mentioned as a possible future leader.{{cite news | title = Simon Crean's winter of discontent | date = 13 June 2002 | publisher = National Civic Council | url = http://www.newsweekly.com.au/article.php?id=884 | work = News Weekly | access-date = 7 April 2012}} 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 Minister for Foreign Affairs in Kevin Rudd's cabinet on 3 December following Labor's win in the 2007 election,[https://web.archive.org/web/20071201080838/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/29/2105169.htm Rudd hands out portfolios], Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 29 November 2007. and when Julia Gillard took over from Kevin Rudd as prime minister in June 2010, she added Minister for Trade to Smith's portfolio.{{cite news | first = Emma | last = Rodgers | title = Rudd left out of Gillard's reshuffle | date = 28 June 2010 | publisher = Australian Broadcasting Corporation | url = http://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-06-28/rudd-left-out-of-gillards-reshuffle/883890 | work = ABC News | access-date = 7 April 2012}} After the 2010 federal election Smith was appointed to the vacant Defence portfolio, while Rudd and Craig Emerson were appointed to the Foreign Affairs and Trade ministries, respectively.{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-gillard-ministry-20100911-155qc.html|title=The Gillard ministry|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=11 September 2010|access-date=12 September 2010}}

Following Kevin Rudd's return to the leadership of the ALP and as prime minister, on 27 June 2013 Smith announced he would not be a candidate at the 2013 federal election.{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-27/stephen-smith-to-retire-from-politics/4785742?section=wa |title=Defence Minister Stephen Smith to retire from politics |author=Griffiths, Emma |work=ABC News |date=27 June 2013 |access-date=27 June 2013 }}

Post-parliamentary career

Smith was appointed Winthrop Professor of International Law at the University of Western Australia on 29 April 2014.{{cite news |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/appointments/smith-joins-throng-of-expollies-in-uni-jobs/story-e6frgckf-1226900010507 |title=Smith joins throng of ex-pollies in uni jobs |work=The Australian|date=29 April 2014 |access-date=30 April 2014 }}

In March 2016, Smith announced that he did not believe the leader of the Labor Party in Western Australia, Mark McGowan, was capable of leading the party to victory at the 2017 state election.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/mar/13/labor-party-stephen-smith-makes-pitch-for-west-australian-leadership |title=Stephen Smith makes pitch for West Australian Labor leadership |work=The Guardian |date=13 March 2016 |access-date=13 March 2016}} He sought to enter the Western Australian Legislative Assembly by seeking preselection in the new seat of Baldivis. His bid for preselection was unsuccessful.{{cite news |title=Stephen Smith vows to challenge for WA Labor leadership if party back him |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-13/stephen-smith-pledges-challenge-wa-labor-if-caucus-support/7243052 |work=ABC News |location=Australia |date=13 March 2016 |access-date=13 March 2016}}

Smith served as Chairman of ASX listed Canberra-based cyber security firm archTIS from March 2018{{cite news |url=https://www.afr.com/news/politics/stephen-smith-joins-archtis-warns-on-cybersecurity-after-facebook-data-breach-20180323-h0xvhf | title=Stephen Smith joins archTIS, warns on cybersecurity after Facebook data breach |work=Financial Review |location=Australia |date=23 March 2018 |access-date= }} to July 2020.{{cite news |url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2022/09/30/stephen-smith-anthony-albanese-high-commissioner-london/ | title=Stephen Smith: from defence review to Labor’s first mate

|work=Crikey |location=Australia |date=30 September 2020 |access-date=10 September 2024}}

In August 2022, Smith was appointed to co-lead the Defence Strategic Review into the Australian Defence Force by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.{{Cite news |date=2022-08-02 |title=Australia's military structure, preparedness and investments to be reviewed for first time in a decade |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-02/defence-strategy-review-conducted-by-stephen-smith/101293878 |access-date=2022-08-03 |df=dmy-all }} On 30 September 2022, Smith was named as the next High Commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom, to take up office on 26 January 2023 following the completion of the Defence Strategic Review.{{cite press release |last1=Wong |first1=Penny |title=Appointment of Australian Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Consuls-General |url=https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/appointment-australian-ambassadors-high-commissioners-and-consuls-general-0 |access-date=5 November 2022 |publisher=Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government |date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017190316/https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/appointment-australian-ambassadors-high-commissioners-and-consuls-general-0 |archive-date=17 October 2022 }}{{cite news |last1=Hurst |first1=Daniel |title=Stephen Smith named UK high commissioner as government flags fewer political appointments |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/sep/30/stephen-smith-named-uk-high-commissioner-as-government-flags-fewer-political-appointments |access-date=5 November 2022 |work=The Guardian Australia |date=30 September 2022}}

Photo gallery

Image:Stephensmith.jpg|Stephen Smith in early 2005

Image:StephenSmith2008.jpg|Stephen Smith in early 2008

Image:SS2008-2.jpg|Robert Gates meets face-to-face with Stephen Smith

Image:SS2008-1.jpg|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

Image:RiceSmith08.jpg|Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (centre) and Stephen Smith (right) with students from Wesley College during a visit to Kings Park State War Memorial in Perth

Image:Katsuya Okada Hillary Rodham Clinton and Stephen Smith 20090921.jpg|Stephen Smith (right) meets Hillary Clinton (centre) and Katsuya Okada (left) at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on 21 September 2009