The Australian’s Australian of the Year: Speaker Tony Smith respected on both sides of aisle

So regarded is Tony Smith that MPs from both sides of the aisle say he is one of the best ever speakers of the House of Representatives.

Tony Smith. Picture: Jamila Toderas

Bipartisan agreement is increasingly rare in politics, but so regarded is Tony Smith that MPs from both sides of the aisle say he is one of the best ever speakers of the House of Representatives.

As the 20-year Casey MP plans his retirement, Mr Smith will look back on a storied ­career that began as a press secretary under then-treasurer Peter Costello, before entering parliament in 2001.

He served as a parliamentary secretary in the late days of the Howard government, before filling frontbench roles in opposition, including being communi­ca­tions spokesman in the early days of Tony Abbott’s leadership.

But his true destiny came in 2015, when he replaced Bronwyn Bishop as the speaker of the House of Representatives – a crucial role in ensuring parliament is functional and that the rules of the chamber are followed.

After assuming the chair, Mr Smith swiftly confirmed his even-handed approach, earning him praise from all sides of parliament. The regard for the East Melbourne MP saw him re-elected to the judge-like role unopposed in 2016 and again in 2019 – the first time a speaker has been elected unopposed on three occasions since Frederick Holder, the inaugural holder of the position.

Upon announcing his retirement in parliament in November last year, a statement released by Mr Smith encapsulated his attitude towards public service: “I love our parliament and serving the Australian people.”

For his contributions to Australian democracy, Mr Smith is nominated for The Australian’s Australian of the Year.

As speaker, while moving away from his predecessor’s tendency to eject parliamentarians, he implemented a sense of order to the House of Representatives, saying parliament should be a robust place but “it needn’t be rude and it needn’t be loud”.

The tributes that flowed after he announced his retirement reflected how highly Mr Smith was regarded.

During a speech thanking him for his service, Scott Morrison said Mr Smith had been a “dear friend” and lauded him as an “an outstanding Speaker in the true Westminster tradition”.

Josh Frydenberg also paid tribute to his long-time friend, saying he was a “commanding presence in our parliament”.

Anthony Albanese praised Mr Smith as an “outstanding speaker”, saying: “You followed a divisive speaker … which only made your determination to lift the standard of the parliament even more important and unity is always better than division.”

Readers are encouraged to submit a nomination for The Australian’s Australian of the Year. Prominent Australians can be nominated by filling out the form, or emailing to [e-mail]. Nominations close on Friday, January 21.