Warwick Leslie Smith AO (born 13 May 1954) is an Australian former politician from Tasmania. He was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from December 1984 to March 1993 and again from March 1996 to October 1998, representing the Division of Bass, Tasmania.
Early life and education Warwick Leslie Smith was born on 13 May 1954 in Launceston, Tasmania.
He attended the Australian National University and University of Tasmania, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws.
Career Smith first worked as a solicitor.
He was elected to Parliament in 1984 and later held two ministries in John Howard's government: Minister for Sport, Territories and Local Government from March 1996 to October 1997, and then Minister for Family Services until October 1998.
Smith lost his seat in the 1998 general election to ALP candidate Michelle O'Byrne. He has since held several management positions in the corporate sector, including as an executive director of Macquarie Bank, head of the Australia China Business Council.Liz Foschia: Vaile says Australia–China trade solid despite Chen revelations, The World Today (ABC Local Radio), 8 June 2005. He was chair of ANZ New South Wales and of the advisory board of Australian Equity Group, an investment company owned by Kerry Stokes, in 2007.
From July 2010 to April 2012, Smith was chairman of the Australian Sports Commission.
He chaired the Australia–China Council at the time of its winding up by the government in 2019, assuming the role of chair of the replacement agency, the National Foundation for Australia–China Relations. However he resigned a year later, after raising "concerns over the structure, independence, and effectiveness" of the new body.
He was interviewed in 2019 by Daniel Connell about the Australian-China Council. The interview can be found at the National Library of Australia.Smith, W.; Connell, D. (interviewer). (2019). Warwick Smith interviewed by Daniel Connell in the Australia–China Council oral history project, National Library of Australia. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
Honours Smith was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours List on 26 January 2008, and Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) on 26 January 2019.
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