Tom Switzer is editor of The Spectator Australia, succeeding Oscar Humphries

Oscar Humphries

Oscar Humphries is an Australian fine art and design dealer and journalist. He has been editor of the The Spectator art magazine Apollo since early 2010....

 in December 2009. He is also a research associate at the United States Studies Centre at 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...

 where he teaches American politics and history. He was a candidate to replace former Australian 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...

 leader Brendan Nelson

Brendan Nelson

Dr Brendan John Nelson is a former Australian politician and former federal Opposition leader. He served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from the 1996 federal election until 19 October 2009 as the Liberal member for Bradfield, a northern Sydney seat...

 in his northern Sydney electoral seat of Bradfield

Division of Bradfield

The Division of Bradfield is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1949 and is named for Dr John Bradfield, the designer of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is located in the upper North Shore, and includes the suburbs of Chatswood, Killara, St Ives and...

.

Early life and education

Switzer was an Australian schools track and field champion in 1989, won medals in several national and state athletics championships and was trained by Australian Olympic coach Jackie Byrnes. As a 17-year-old schoolboy in 1988, he won distinction for being the first Australian to beat Olympian Darren Clark

Darren Clark

Darren Edward Clark is a retired Australian sprinter who specialized in the 400 metres.His personal best time of 44.38 seconds, achieved at the 1988 Olympics, is the current Oceanian record....

 .

Career

Before politics, he was an assistant editor at the American Enterprise Institute

American Enterprise Institute

The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...

 in Washington, DC (1995-98), an editorial writer at the Australian Financial Review (1998-2001) and opinion editor for The Australian

The Australian

The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....

(2001-08) where he attracted controversy for hiring conservative columnist Janet Albrechtsen

Janet Albrechtsen

Janet Kim Albrechtsen is a conservative Australian opinion columnist with the News Limited-owned newspaper, The Australian. From 2005 through 2010, she was a member of the Board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia's state-owned national broadcaster.-Early life and...

 and writing conservative polemics on the public broadcaster, the US alliance,"The Australian - 'US alliance will change' http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22526395-7583,00.html the Iraq war and the culture wars. In recent years, he has also been a regular commentator for Sky News television, The Spectator Australia,"Spectator Australia - 'In praise of our leading lady' http://www.spectator.co.uk/australia/3540871/in-praise-of-our-leading-lady-.thtml The Wall Street Journal"The Wall Street Journal - Bring Back the Thatcher Revolution http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124173036742997785.html and Quadrant magazine.

In 2008 he was senior adviser to former federal Liberal Party Leader Brendan Nelson

Brendan Nelson

Dr Brendan John Nelson is a former Australian politician and former federal Opposition leader. He served as a member of the Australian House of Representatives from the 1996 federal election until 19 October 2009 as the Liberal member for Bradfield, a northern Sydney seat...

 until the leadership vote that saw Malcolm Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull

Malcolm Bligh Turnbull is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Australian House of Representatives since 2004, and was Leader of the Opposition and parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party from 16 September 2008 to 1 December 2009.Turnbull has represented the Division...

take over in the top job. During his time in the Opposition Leader's office, he provoked controversy for his role in toughening up policy on an emissions trading scheme.