Tamara Smith

Tamara Smith MP is the Member for Ballina in the Legislative Assembly of the NSW Parliament and is Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the Office of the Valuer General. She is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Law and Justice at Southern Cross University. 

Tamara is the first woman to hold the seat of Ballina, and the first regional Greens MP to represent a regional lower house seat in Australia. Tamara is in her third term and was re-elected in March 2023.

Prior to joining politics, Tamara was a secondary school teacher for many years in remote and rural NSW and is still a proud member of the NSW Teachers Federation. She was admitted as a solicitor in NSW in 2010. 

The Ballina electorate covers all of Ballina Shire and most of Byron Shire. It spans 1,059 square kilometres of rural and regional coastal landscapes and is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the east coast of Australia. Old growth forests, Gondwanaland remnant rainforest areas, and the Cape Byron Marine Park contribute to the rich biodiversity of the Ballina electorate.

Tamara's Portfolios

• Education
• Early Learning
• Skills & TAFE
• Premier & Cabinet
• Older People
• Tourism
• Disaster relief