1. Martin Leslie James Hamilton-Smith was born on 1 December 1953 and is a former Australian politician who represented the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Waite from the 1997 election until his retirement in 2018.
26 Facts About Martin Hamilton-Smith
1. 2.
Martin Hamilton-Smith became an independent two months after the 2014 election.
3.
Martin Hamilton-Smith served as the Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence Industries and Minister for Veterans' Affairs in the Weatherill Labor cabinet from May 2014 until January 2018 and Minister for Space Industries and Minister for Health Industries from September 2017 until January 2018.
4.
Martin Hamilton-Smith announced on 6 January 2018 that he would not seek re-election in the 2018 election.
5.
Martin Hamilton-Smith commanded Australia's first counter-terrorist assault force in the SAS in 1980.
6.
Martin Hamilton-Smith saw service in Malaysia and as commanding officer of the 1st Commando Regiment based in Sydney.
7.
Martin Hamilton-Smith left the Army in 1995 to build a property development, investment and private child care centre business which had been first established in 1989.
8.
Martin Hamilton-Smith first won Waite in the 1997 election by six percent against the Democrats on a two-candidate basis.
9.
The preselection victory of Martin Hamilton-Smith prompted Brown to complain of interference by federal conservative faction MPs Nick Minchin, Grant Chapman, and Andrew Southcott.
10.
At the 2002 election when Rann Labor came to power, Martin Hamilton-Smith retained his seat by twelve percent against Labor on 2PP, and by four percent at the 2006 election.
11.
Martin Hamilton-Smith was promoted by Premier John Olsen into the position of Cabinet Secretary on 5 October 2001 and was later elevated into Cabinet as the Innovation and Tourism minister in the Kerin Liberal government from December 2001 to March 2002.
12.
On 11 April 2007, Martin Hamilton-Smith formally challenged then Liberal leader Iain Evans, and was successful with 13 votes to 10 for the Liberal leadership.
13.
The Preferred Premier rating saw Martin Hamilton-Smith start on 21 per cent, seven points higher than his predecessor, to a high of 30 per cent, with Rann falling from a high of 64, to 48 per cent.
14.
Martin Hamilton-Smith accused Labor of accepting split donations from the Church of Scientology based on information sent to the Liberal Opposition that was found to have been forged.
15.
Two days later, Martin Hamilton-Smith announced a spill of the leadership and deputy leadership, with a ballot taking place on Saturday 4 July 2009.
16.
Martin Hamilton-Smith defeated Chapman in the leadership spill, 11 votes to 10, with one MP abstaining.
17.
At first, Martin Hamilton-Smith immediately announced he would stand down, which would have delivered the leadership to Chapman.
18.
On 30 March 2010, Martin Hamilton-Smith was elected deputy leader of SA Liberals to replace Steven Griffiths in a party-room vote, defeating Iain Evans 10 votes to 8.
19.
Martin Hamilton-Smith defeated Evans in a leadership position in a rematch between the two former leaders.
20.
Martin Hamilton-Smith nominated for the position of South Australian Liberal parliamentary leader, with Steven Marshall as deputy leader after Martin Hamilton-Smith declared a leadership spill against Isobel Redmond and Mitch Williams.
21.
Martin Hamilton-Smith chose to support Steven Marshall who was elected leader unopposed.
22.
Martin Hamilton-Smith was appointed Shadow Minister for Economic and Regional Development, Mineral Resources and Energy, Manufacturing, Industry and Trade, and Defence Industries in the subsequent reshuffle.
23.
Martin Hamilton-Smith accepted the cabinet positions of Minister for Regional Development and Minister for State and Government Local Relations.
24.
On 27 May 2014, more than two months after the election, in a media conference with South Australian Labor Premier Jay Weatherill, Martin Hamilton-Smith announced his decision to resign from the South Australian Liberal Party to become an "Independent Liberal" MP, and to join the Labor cabinet as the Minister for Trade, Defence Industries and Veterans' Affairs.
25.
Martin Hamilton-Smith was appointed to the ministerial portfolio of small business in 2016.
26.
On 6 January 2018, Martin Hamilton-Smith announced that he would retire at the 2018 state election and resigned from the Weatherill Ministry on 17 January 2018.