He was elected as a member of the Liberal Party, but resigned following controversy over his private life and sat as an independent until his defeat.
[2] Smith obtained the degree of Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland and practised as a barrister from 1983 until his election to parliament.
[1] Smith joined the Liberal Party's Pine Rivers branch in 1974 and served as a delegate to state conference.
[1] On 26 May 1998, Smith resigned from the Liberal Party to sit as an independent, stating in a letter to Prime Minister John Howard that "you seem unconcerned about the real people out there whose views you find an irritation" and that it was "impossible to properly represent the interests of my constituents as a member of the parliamentary party".
[3] He re-contested Dickson at the 1998 election, gaining 9% of the primary vote, but losing to former leader of the Democrats and Labor candidate Cheryl Kernot.