Susan Close

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix = The Honourable

| name = Susan Close

| honorific-suffix = MP

| image = Susan Close MP during 2018 election campaign.jpg

| office = Deputy Premier of South Australia

| premier = Peter Malinauskas

| term_start = 21 March 2022

| term_end =

| predecessor = Dan van Holst Pellekaan

| successor =

| office1 = Deputy Leader of the South Australian
Labor Party

| leader1 = Peter Malinauskas

| term_start1 = 9 April 2018

| term_end1 =

| predecessor1 = John Rau

| successor1 =

| office2 = Minister for Climate, Environment and Water

| predecessor2 = David Speirs {{small|(as Minister for Environment and Water)}}

| successor2 =

| term_start2 = 21 March 2022

| term_end2 =

| office3 = Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science

| predecessor3 = David Pisoni {{small|(as Minister for Innovation and Skills)}}

| successor3 =

| term_start3 = 24 March 2022

| term_end3 =

| office4 = Minister for Defence and Space Industries

| predecessor4 = New ministerial title

| successor4 =

| term_start4 = 24 March 2022

| term_end4 =

| order5 = Deputy Leader of the Opposition
of South Australia

| term_start5 = 9 April 2018

| term_end5 = 21 March 2022

| leader5 = Peter Malinauskas

| predecessor5 = Vickie Chapman

| successor5 = John Gardner

| office6 = Minister for Education
and Child Development

| predecessor6 = Jennifer Rankine

| successor6 = Steven Marshall {{small|(Acting)}}
John Gardner {{small|(Education)}}

| term_start6 = 3 February 2015

| term_end6 = 17 March 2018

| constituency_MP7 = Port Adelaide

| parliament7 = South Australian

| predecessor7 = Kevin Foley

| successor7 =

| term_start7 = 11 February 2012

| term_end7 =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|11|12|df=y}}

| birth_place = Glenelg, South Australia, Australia

| death_date =

| death_place =

| nationality =

| spouse = Declan

| party = Australian Labor Party (SA)

| relations =

| children = 2

| residence = Semaphore

| alma_mater = Flinders University

| occupation =

| signature =

| signature_alt =

| website =

| footnotes =

}}

Susan Elizabeth Close is an Australian politician, who is currently the deputy premier of South Australia since March 2022. She also holds the ministerial portfolios of Minister for Climate, Environment and Water (thus overseeing the Department for Environment and Water); Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science; and Minister for Defence and Space Industries.

Close is a member of the Australian Labor Party, serving as the deputy leader following the 2018 State election. She was first elected to the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Port Adelaide at the 2012 by-election, and held Cabinet portfolios in the Weatherill Ministry from 2014 to 2018.

Background

Close earned a PhD in political science at Flinders University where she had studied French, Italian and biology as well as politics in her BA. She graduated from Blackwood High School in 1984.

She was active in the environment movement during her university years, including roles with Greenpeace, the Wilderness Society SA and the SA Conservation Council. She participated in the establishment of both the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary and International Bird Sanctuary[https://hansardsearch.parliament.sa.gov.au/daily/lh/2017-05-31/63 Port Gawler Conservation Park] Hansard, South Australian House of Assembly, 31 May 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2022. in the Port River estuary.

She worked as a public servant from 2003 to 2011, largely in the Department for Environment and Heritage. She previously was the head of student services at the University of Adelaide.

Parliament

Close retained the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Port Adelaide for Labor at the 2012 by-election with a 42.3 per cent primary and a 52.9 per cent two-candidate-preferred vote.{{Cite web|url=https://ecsa.sa.gov.au/404|title=Error: 404 Not found - Electoral Commission SA|website=ecsa.sa.gov.au|accessdate=18 July 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/|title=Elections|date=23 January 2024|website=www.abc.net.au|accessdate=18 July 2024}} The by-election was held after the resignation of the previous Labor incumbent Kevin Foley. She was re-elected with two-party-preferred votes above 60 per cent at the 2014 election and the 2018 election.{{Cite web|url=https://abc.net.au/news/elections/sa/2018/guide/port|title=Port Adelaide - SA Electorate, Candidates, Results|website=abc.net.au|accessdate=18 July 2024}}{{cite web|title=Notional two-party preferred results|url=https://ecsa.sa.gov.au/elections/notional-two-party-preferred-results|publisher=ECSA|accessdate=4 April 2018|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404091101/https://ecsa.sa.gov.au/elections/notional-two-party-preferred-results|archivedate=4 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}

Close has chaired two parliamentary committees: Sustainable Farming Practices, and Dogs and Cats as Companion Animals. She has also been a member of two other parliamentary committees: Port Augusta Power Stations, and Aboriginal Lands.{{cite SA-parl |pid=4622 |name=Dr Susan Close |former= |access-date=2022-08-23}} She introduced a private members bill for equal marriage in 2013 but was unsuccessful.{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-25/same-sex-marriage-bill-voted-down-in-south-australian-parliament/4843506|title=Same-sex marriage bill voted down in SA|date=25 July 2013|accessdate=18 July 2024|via=www.abc.net.au}}

Close entered the Weatherill Ministry in March 2014, initially as the Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade and the Minister for the Public Sector. After Martin Hamilton-Smith joined the cabinet she served as the Minister for Automotive Transformation and the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation. She was the Minister for Education and Child Development from 2015 to 2018, and the Minister for Higher Education and Skills from 2016 to 2018.

=Deputy Labor leadership=

After the 2018 election, Peter Malinauskas became Leader of the Opposition and succeeded Jay Weatherill who had resigned as Labor leader, with Close as deputy, following a Labor caucus meeting on 9 April 2018.{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-09/peter-malinauskas-sets-the-tone-for-sa-labor-opposition/9634852 |title=Peter Malinauskas sets the tone for SA Labor Opposition after meteoric rise |date=9 April 2018 |accessdate=12 April 2018 |website=abc.net.au}}{{cite news |url=https://indaily.com.au/news/politics/2018/04/09/malinauskas-takes-charge-need-listen-sa/ |title=Malinauskas takes charge: 'We need to listen to SA' |date=9 April 2018 |accessdate=12 April 2018 |website=indaily.com.au}}{{cite news |url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/ex-union-boss-peter-malinauskas-elected-sas-opposition-leader-with-susan-close-as-deputy/news-story/8f2c66528424d849fbc30938e3896b10 |title=Ex union boss Peter Malinauskas elected SA's opposition leader, with Susan Close as deputy |date=9 April 2018 |accessdate=12 April 2018 |website=adelaidenow.com.au}}

Close is the Labor spokesperson for Climate Change, Environment and Water, Higher Education and Industry. She holds adjunct professorships with both Flinders University in the College of Business, Government and Law, and the University of South Australia.

Following her party's victory at the 2022 state election, she was sworn in as Deputy Premier and Minister for Environment and Water on 21 March 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-20/sa-election-liberal-minister-corey-wingard-set-to-lose-seat/100925276|title=SA election 2022: Liberal minister Corey Wingard set to lose seat, One Nation could gain in upper house|work=ABC News|date=20 March 2022}}{{Gazette SA|title=Governor's Instruments|issue=18|page=890|date=21 March 2022|url=https://governmentgazette.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/public/documents/gazette/2022/March/2022_018.pdf|access-date=21 March 2022}} She was further sworn in as Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and Minister for Defence and Space Industries on 24 March 2022, and her Environment and Water portfolio becoming the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water.{{Gazette SA|title=Governor's Instruments|issue=19|page=894-895|date=24 March 2022|url=https://governmentgazette.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/public/documents/gazette/2022/March/2022_019.pdf|access-date=24 March 2022}}