Max Smith
Encyclopedia
Richard Max Smith is a former Australia
n politician. He represented Pittwater
in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
from 1978 to 1986, first as a member of the Liberal Party
and then as an independent
.
Smith was born in Gladesville
to John Voyle Smith and Doris Ethel Cullen. He was educated at Parramatta
High School and then the University of Sydney
, and was selected as the youngest member sent to the Duke of Edinburgh
's 1956 study conference at Oxford
. He became a miner and colliery manager. He worked for Australian Iron and Steel from 1951 to 1962 and was superintendent of Rio Tinto
from 1962 to 1967, subsequently serving as consultant mining engineer until 1974. From 1974 to 1978 he was technical and operations director of Coalex. He married Helen on 3 October 1953 and had three children; he subsequently married Sandra Simpson on 28 April 1984, and Janet Lawrence on 15 March 1998.
When the state Liberal
MP for Pittwater
, Bruce Webster
, resigned in 1978, Smith was selected as the Liberal candidate to contest the seat in the upcoming election; he had a narrow victory over the Labor candidate. In 1984 he resigned from the Liberal Party to sit as an independent
, and resigned from parliament altogether in 1986.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He represented Pittwater
Electoral district of Pittwater
Pittwater is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Located in Sydney's north-east, it is 175.32 km² in size, and comprises the local government area of Pittwater Council and parts of Warringah Council...
in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
from 1978 to 1986, first as a member of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
and then as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
.
Smith was born in Gladesville
Gladesville, New South Wales
Gladesville is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Gladesville is located 9 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of the City of Ryde and the Municipality of Hunter's Hill and is part of the Northern Suburbs area.Gladesville prides...
to John Voyle Smith and Doris Ethel Cullen. He was educated at Parramatta
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
High School and then the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, and was selected as the youngest member sent to the Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
's 1956 study conference at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. He became a miner and colliery manager. He worked for Australian Iron and Steel from 1951 to 1962 and was superintendent of Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
from 1962 to 1967, subsequently serving as consultant mining engineer until 1974. From 1974 to 1978 he was technical and operations director of Coalex. He married Helen on 3 October 1953 and had three children; he subsequently married Sandra Simpson on 28 April 1984, and Janet Lawrence on 15 March 1998.
When the state Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
MP for Pittwater
Electoral district of Pittwater
Pittwater is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. Located in Sydney's north-east, it is 175.32 km² in size, and comprises the local government area of Pittwater Council and parts of Warringah Council...
, Bruce Webster
Bruce Webster (Australian politician)
Bruce Laurence Webster was an Australian politician, from the Liberal Party of Australia. He was the member for Pittwater, in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 8 February 1975 until 21 July 1978.-References:...
, resigned in 1978, Smith was selected as the Liberal candidate to contest the seat in the upcoming election; he had a narrow victory over the Labor candidate. In 1984 he resigned from the Liberal Party to sit as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, and resigned from parliament altogether in 1986.