Christine Smith (politician)
Encyclopedia
Christine Anne Smith, MP
(born 11 October 1946) is an Australian
politician. She represents the electoral district of Burleigh
in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
, and was first elected at the 2001 State election for the first Australian Labor Party
.
Christine has lived on the Gold Coast for 21 years. Prior to becoming an MP she worked with Centrelink, an experience which gave her an insight into a diverse range of social situations.
Christine is a Justice of the Peace (Qualified) and has been involved in many local community organisations. She is a member of the Qld Mental Health Association and committee member of the Gold Coast Branch, Palm Beach Police Consultative Committee, Burleigh Heads Lions Club, Girl Guide Trefoil Group, Creek to Creek Chamber of Commerce and an honorary member of the Burleigh Heads Scouts.
Christine is also patron of various organisations including the Order of the Old Bastards, the Coolamon Chorale, the Gold Coast Horse & Carriage Club, the Miami Tennis Club, Care for Life Suicide Prevention and Burleigh Heads Pensioners Association. She is also Vice-President of Palm Beach SLSC.
Christine and her husband Robert have been married for 41 years. They raised two sons and have two much-loved grandsons.
Their eldest son battled mental illness for many years, inspiring Christine to become vocal in the fight to raise the profile of mental illness and to ensure better and more appropriate funding. After his death in 2006 Christine has redoubled her efforts to put this issue firmly on the agenda.
To this end she works with many local community organisations and has become the recognised face for this issue by both the community and her parliamentary colleagues.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(born 11 October 1946) is an Australian
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...
politician. She represents the electoral district of Burleigh
Electoral district of Burleigh
The division of Burleigh is an electoral division in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, Queensland, Australia.The division of Burleigh is located on the southern Gold Coast, centred on Burleigh Heads. It also includes parts of the Gold Coast suburbs of Miami, Mermaid Beach, Varsity Lakes and Palm...
in the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
, and was first elected at the 2001 State election for the first Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
.
Christine has lived on the Gold Coast for 21 years. Prior to becoming an MP she worked with Centrelink, an experience which gave her an insight into a diverse range of social situations.
Christine is a Justice of the Peace (Qualified) and has been involved in many local community organisations. She is a member of the Qld Mental Health Association and committee member of the Gold Coast Branch, Palm Beach Police Consultative Committee, Burleigh Heads Lions Club, Girl Guide Trefoil Group, Creek to Creek Chamber of Commerce and an honorary member of the Burleigh Heads Scouts.
Christine is also patron of various organisations including the Order of the Old Bastards, the Coolamon Chorale, the Gold Coast Horse & Carriage Club, the Miami Tennis Club, Care for Life Suicide Prevention and Burleigh Heads Pensioners Association. She is also Vice-President of Palm Beach SLSC.
Christine and her husband Robert have been married for 41 years. They raised two sons and have two much-loved grandsons.
Their eldest son battled mental illness for many years, inspiring Christine to become vocal in the fight to raise the profile of mental illness and to ensure better and more appropriate funding. After his death in 2006 Christine has redoubled her efforts to put this issue firmly on the agenda.
To this end she works with many local community organisations and has become the recognised face for this issue by both the community and her parliamentary colleagues.