Women in Information and Communication

Women in Information and Communication > WIC Wiki > Brendan Smyth

Brendan Smyth

View All Site Content

Recent Changes

Eija Seittenranta

Anne Brown

Dinner and Debate

WIC Dinner and Debate 2009

Roz Beste

View All Pages

Mr Brendan Smyth MLA
Member for Brindabella
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party

Shadow Treasurer; Shadow Minister for Economic Development, Business and Tourism; Emergency Services; Territory-Owned Corporations; Gaming & Racing

Brendan was born in Sydney in July 1959. In May 1969, Brendan's family moved to Canberra to own and operate the Lyons, then the Fisher, then the Weston Newsagencies. The Smyth family lived in Curtin and Brendan attended Marist College in Pearce. Upon leaving school, Brendan was a Staff Cadet at the Royal Military College, Duntroon from 1978 to 1980. For the next seven years, Brendan worked in the family business – the Weston Newsagency.

After working in both the Department of Community Service and Health, and the Patents Office, Brendan used his small business experience to establish the shop at Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre. In 1991, he moved on to be the Manager of Sales and Distribution for the National Library of Australia, which included managing the National Library Shop.

With an interest in current affairs and the future of Canberra, Brendan joined the ACT Division of the Liberal Party in 1985. When, in1995, the federal seat of Canberra was vacated mid-term, Brendan was preselected as the Liberal candidate. The 16.7 per cent swing against the ALP was hailed as "bigger than Bass" and saw Brendan sworn in as the Member for Canberra. A narrow loss at the Federal Election in 1996 resulted in Brendan working as a ministerial adviser to Amanda Vanstone and then Peter Reith. He re-entered politics in 1998, when he was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly as a Member for Brindabella.

Brendan became the Minister for Urban Services in the Carnell Government. In October 2000, as a Minister in the Humphries Government, Brendan added Business, Tourism and the Arts and Police and Emergency Services to his responsibilities, as well as being elected as the Deputy Chief Minister.

From November 2000 until November 2002, Brendan was the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the ACT Legislative Assembly; he was elected Leader of the Opposition and remained in this capacity until May 2006.

Brendan is currently the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Treasurer and the Shadow Minister for Economic Development, Business and Tourism, Emergency Services, Territory-Owned Corporations and Gaming & Racing.

In the current Assembly, Brendan is a member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. It is this Committee which has the responsibility for conducting an inquiry into the ACT Government’s Road Transport (Third-Party Insurance) Amendment Bill 2011 later in 2011.

Brendan lives in Chisholm – a suburb in the beautiful Tuggeranong Valley, with his wife, Robyn, and son, David. He is an active member of the Guises Creek Bushfire Brigade and, when not caught up in the busy life of a politician, enjoys bushwalking, cycling, reading, computing and whiskey – yes, whiskey! One day, (after politics) Brendan intends to set up a whiskey distillery and produce Snowy Mountains Scotch, McCauley's Irish Whiskey and whatever else takes his fancy at the time.

Brendan was part of the debate team at WIC's 2009, 2010 and 2011 Winter Dinner and Debate.

Last modified at 17/09/2011 9:19 PM by WebAdmin