Tamara Smith MP is the Member for Ballina in the Legislative Assembly of the NSW Parliament and is Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on the Office of the Valuer General. She is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Law and Justice at Southern Cross University. 

Tamara is the first woman to hold the seat of Ballina, and Australia's first regional Greens MP. Her family have lived in the Northern Rivers for four generations. Tamara is in her third term and was re-elected in March 2023.

Prior to joining politics, Tamara was a secondary school teacher for many years in remote and rural NSW and is still a proud 28-year member of the NSW Teachers Federation. She was admitted as a solicitor in NSW in 2010. 

The Ballina electorate covers all of Ballina Shire and almost all of Byron Shire. It spans 1,059 square kilometres of rural and regional coastal landscapes and is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the east coast of Australia. Old growth forests, Gondwanaland remnant rainforest areas, and the Cape Byron Marine Park contribute to the rich biodiversity of the Ballina electorate.

Tamara is also the NSW Greens spokesperson for: 

• Education
• Early Learning
• Skills & TAFE
• Premier & Cabinet
• Older People
• Tourism
• Disaster relief

I refuse corporate donations, which means I can advocate for the community’s interests in parliament – not the interests of big corporations and billionaires.  

Whether it’s a Coalition or a Labor Government, we have proven that the Greens can deliver real results for our community and stand up for what matters. 

Together, we’ve seen some massive wins on issues of incredible importance since I was elected in 2015:  

• A 50% increase in infrastructure spending in the electorate since my election in 2015  
• A real pay rise for NSW public-school teachers, which has seen our teachers become the highest-paid in the nation  
• A 60-Day Cap on short-term holiday letting in Byron Shire  
• A review of the government's decision to dispossess the Cabbage Tree Island community
• $3.3 million dollars for road repairs in the Ballina and Byron Shires 
• An assertive outreach program to tackle homelessness in Byron Shire 
• 100 new public pre-schools in New South Wales, including one in Lennox Head 
• A new provider for the residents of Feros Care 
• More paramedics for Ballina Station as part of the NSW government's regional paramedics program 
• A commitment to end to no-grounds evictions for NSW renters 
• $900m in funding for flood-affected homes in the Northern Rivers  
• Restored $3 million in funding for women’s refuges after Liberal/National cuts 
• $2.2 million in funding for community infrastructure and equipment at 124 local community organisations  
• Funding for the Women’s Family Law Court Support Service, which helps more than 1000 survivors of domestic violence each year 
• Helped secure almost $4.5 million in state funding for local renewable energy projects 
• Worked co-operatively with the relevant agencies to close South Ballina Beach to 4WD vehicles 
• Delivered an indoor sports centre for Ballina    
• Delivered a 13-hectare sports field for Wollongbar  
• Expanded facilities for Wardell CORE and the Wardell tennis courts 
• Stopped the proposed CSG mine at Bentley and made the Ballina electorate gasfield-free
• Established safe access zones around women’s health centres
• Supported stronger anti-corruption laws
• Decriminalised abortion in NSW 
• Passed voluntary-assisted dying laws in NSW 
• Delivered 12.6 million for post-flood infrastructure in the Ballina and Byron Shires
• Secured funding for a raise of Ross Lane in Lennox Head
• Secured a conservation zone on environmentally sensitive and flood-prone land at Burns Point Ferry Road, West Ballina 
• A free bus service for flood-affected residents in the Northern Rivers  
• A new Northern Rivers Wildlife Hospital  
• Protected public land in Suffolk Park and Mullumbimby from privatisation  

I know that there’s still so much to do. You can read about some of the local issues I’m working on now by clicking this link, and also read about the Greens' plan for New South Wales by clicking here. 

If you'd like to suggest an issue I could focus on in future, make sure to take the 2-minute survey at tamarasmith.org.au/survey.