She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne and a general nursing certificate from Adelaide Children's Hospital.
[1] Her background in politics includes six years (1996-2002) as a Victorian Member of Parliament for the Silvan Electorate.
She was also a ministerial advisor to the Kennett Victorian Government in the Major Projects portfolio from 1993 to 1996.
Smith was the founder and principal of International Infrastructure conferences based in Singapore from 1989 to 1993.
Her earlier professions include being a nurse educator at the Royal Children's Hospital, Brisbane, and health counsellor at La Trobe University in Victoria.