Smith joins throng of ex-pollies in uni jobs

FORMER foreign affairs and defence minister Stephen Smith has taken a job as a law academic at UWA.

FORMER foreign affairs and defence minister Stephen Smith has taken up an appointment as a Winthrop Professor of International Law at the University of Western Australia.

Smith, who will take the title of professor, is an alumni of UWA. He was awarded a bachelor of jurisprudence in 1976, a bachelor of laws (LLB) in 1977 and admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of WA in the same year. Professor Smith also obtained a BA in 1979, was admitted as a barrister of the Bar of England and Wales (Middle Temple) in 1980, and awarded a Master of Laws from London University (London School of Economics) in international law in 1982. He subsequently tutored part time in public international law at UWA in the mid 1980s.

Professor Smith joins a long list of ex-politicians who have joined the ranks of academia in recent months. They include Julia Gillard (Adelaide University), Nicola Roxon (Victoria University), Bob Carr (UNSW, Sydney, UTS), among others

Professor Smith is a member of the board of the Perth USAsia Centre, based at UWA and a member of the advisory board of the Perth legal firm, Lavan Legal.

Professor Smith’s son and daughter are studying at UWA.