Dean Smith has been a Liberal Senator for Western Australia since May 2012.
In February 2026, he was appointed Shadow Assistant Minister to the Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Assistant Minister for the Cost of Living, having previously served as Shadow Assistant Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction and Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Prior to this, he was a member of the Coalition’s Shadow Economic Team, serving as Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury from June 2022.
From 2019 to 2022, Dean served as Chief Government Whip in the Senate after being elected to the position by his Liberal Senate colleagues and was a member of the Coalition Government’s Senate Leadership Team.
A proud Western Australian originally from the Pilbara, Dean is a committed advocate for Western Australian interests, particularly issues affecting regional communities and the resources sector.
He was one of WA’s earliest and strongest voices calling for GST reform and was part of the Federal WA Liberal team that secured a fairer GST deal for the State in 2017 and continues to be a strong supporter of Western Australia’s mining, energy and export industries, recognising their critical role in the State’s prosperity and the national economy.
In 2018, Dean was awarded the McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership by a panel of eminent Australians, including former Prime Ministers John Howard and Julia Gillard.
His current parliamentary committee roles include membership of the Senate Select Committee on the Taxation of Gas Resources, Chair of the Senate Scrutiny of Bills Committee, Deputy Chair of the Joint Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and the Implementation of the National Redress Scheme, and membership of committees examining Northern Australia, environment and communications policy, and economic issues.
Before entering the Senate, Dean worked as a Policy Adviser to Western Australian Premier Richard Court and Prime Minister John Howard and held senior executive positions with Insurance Australia Group and SingTel Optus.
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Email: senator.smith@aph.gov.au
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