Tim Smith (Australian politician)

Timothy Colin Smith (born 15 October 1983) is an Australian former politician, who served as the member for Kew from 2014 to 2022 in the Victorian Legislative Assembly.

[10] Smith was first selected at state level in the 2002 Victorian youth eight competing for Noel Wilkinson Trophy at the Interstate Regatta within the 2002 Australian Rowing Championships.

Smith made his Australian representative debut in 2003 at the World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne in a lightweight quad scull.

[15] In 2004 he moved into the Australian senior squad in the lightweight eight and in that boat he won a bronze medal at the 2004 World Rowing Championships in Banyoles, Spain.

[38] In September 2020, during Victoria's second COVID-19 lockdown, Smith created an online poll against the Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews over the restrictions.

In the online poll, Smith asked respondents to react to a post demanding that Andrews resign over his handling of the pandemic.

[39] In October 2020, Smith criticised Daniel Andrews over the use of donuts as a symbol for days of zero locally acquired cases of COVID in Victoria.

Smith attempted to use donuts to create the number 800, a reference to COVID deaths he attributed to Andrews, but was mocked on social media for its apparent resemblance to a penis and testes.

[44] In June 2022, Smith said he would cross the floor after the Liberal Party indicated it will support the government in establishing a Treaty – which he labelled as "divisive tokenism".

[48][49] In September 2022, Smith alleged that Matthew Guy offered to assist him in obtaining a seat in Victoria's upper house which would allow him to remain in parliament, however this never eventuated.

[50] After announcing his resignation from Parliament, he supported Jess Wilson, Business Council chair and former staffer to Josh Frydenberg for preselection for his seat, where she was ultimately successful.

[51] Toward the end of his parliamentary career, Smith said in an interview with The Age that he believes the Victorian Liberals should focus its efforts on the outer suburbs and regional seats and offer a point of difference from the Labor Party by moving further to the right.

In the same interview he describes himself as “a cultural conservative [and] an insufferable constitutional monarchist.”[52] Following his parliamentary career, Smith moved to London and has worked as a reporter for British right-wing media outlet GB News,[53] including in Ukraine.

[54] He also appeared on right-wing Australian media outlet Sky News[55] He often speaks in favour of the monarchy and retaining it in Australia.

Smith in the bow seat of the Australian Lightweight Four training on the Franklin River Tasmania