Rachel Stephen-Smith Explained

Rachel Stephen-Smith
Honorific-Suffix:MLA
Office1:Minister for Health
Leader1:Andrew Barr
Predecessor1:Meegan Fitzharris
Term Start1:1 July 2019
Office2:Minister for Children Youth and Family Services
Leader2:Andrew Barr
Office3:Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Leader3:Andrew Barr
Office4:Minister for Disability
Leader4:Andrew Barr
Office8:Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly for Kurrajong
Term Start8:15 October 2016
Birth Place:Canberra
Nationality:Australian
Party:Labor Party
Alma Mater:Australian National University

Rachel Stephen-Smith (born 1971) is an Australian politician. She has been a Labor member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since 2016, representing the electorate of Kurrajong. Stephen-Smith grew up in O'Connor in Canberra's inner-north[1] and attended local schools such as Lyneham High. Following school, Stephen-Smith attended the Australian National University and studied economics.[2] Stephen-Smith previously worked as a senior public servant in the Australian Capital Territory public service, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and as a Chief of Staff to Senator Kim Carr.[3] Stephen-Smith has also worked in Washington DC at the Australian Embassy.[4]

Following her election, Stephen-Smith was immediately appointed to cabinet, holding the following portfolios: Community Services and Social Inclusion; Disability, Children and Youth; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs; Multicultural Affairs; and Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations.[5]

After a Cabinet reshuffle in August 2018, Stephen-Smith lost the Multicultural Affairs and Community Services portfolios to new Cabinet member Chris Steel, gaining the Government Services and Procurement and Urban Renewal portfolios.[6] In July 2019, Stephen-Smith gained the Health portfolio from Meegan Fitzharris who resigned from the Cabinet, but due to the increase of workload, she later relinquished the Disability and Workplace Safety portfolios to Suzanne Orr in August 2019.[7]

References

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Notes and References

  1. News: Burgess. Katie. Meet your assembly: Rachel Stephen-Smith, the diplomat. Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. 2016-12-29.
  2. News: Burgess. Katie. Meet your assembly: Rachel Stephen-Smith, the diplomat. Canberra Times. 2016-12-29.
  3. News: Burgess. Katie. Meet your assembly: Rachel Stephen-Smith, the diplomat. Canberra Times. 2016-12-29.
  4. Web site: Rachel Stephen-Smith - Candidate for Kurrajong. Australian Labor Party (Australian Capital Territory Branch). https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20160513204200/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/21606/20160514-0642/www.actlabor.org.au/rachel_stephen_smith.html. 2016-05-13.
  5. Web site: Rachel Stephen-Smith. Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly.
  6. Web site: Fitzharris keeps Health, Steel gets City Services: Barr's new ministry. Whyte. Sally. 2018-08-27. Canberra Times. en. 2019-02-17.
  7. Web site: ACT government ministerial reshuffle: Suzanne Orr takes on employment, disabilities. Canberra Times. 5 November 2019. 26 August 2019.