Susan Close

Susan Elizabeth Close (born 12 November 1967) is an Australian politician, who is currently the Deputy Premier of South Australia since March 2022. She also holds the ministerial portfolios of Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and Minister for Defence and Space Industries while as Deputy Premier.

The Honourable
Susan Close
MP
15th Deputy Premier of South Australia
Assumed office
21 March 2022
PremierPeter Malinauskas
Preceded byDan van Holst Pellekaan
Deputy Leader of the Labor Party in South Australia
Assumed office
9 April 2018
LeaderPeter Malinauskas
Preceded byJohn Rau
Minister for Climate, Environment and Water
Assumed office
21 March 2022
Preceded byDavid Speirs (as Minister for Environment and Water)
Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science
Assumed office
24 March 2022
Preceded byDavid Pisoni (as Minister for Innovation and Skills)
Minister for Defence and Space Industries
Assumed office
24 March 2022
Preceded byNew ministerial title
Deputy Leader of the Opposition
of South Australia
In office
9 April 2018 – 21 March 2022
LeaderPeter Malinauskas
Preceded byVickie Chapman
Succeeded byJohn Gardner
Minister for Education
and Child Development
In office
3 February 2015 – 17 March 2018
Preceded byJennifer Rankine
Succeeded bySteven Marshall (Acting)
John Gardner (Education)
Member of the South Australian Parliament
for Port Adelaide
Assumed office
11 February 2012
Preceded byKevin Foley
Personal details
Born (1967-11-12) 12 November 1967
Glenelg, South Australia, Australia
Political partyAustralian Labor Party (SA)
SpouseDeclan
Children2
ResidenceSemaphore
Alma materFlinders University

Close is a member of the Australian Labor Party, serving as the deputy leader following the 2018 State election. She was first elected to the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Port Adelaide at the 2012 by-election, and held Cabinet portfolios in the Weatherill Ministry from 2014 to 2018.

Background

Close earned a PhD in political science at Flinders University where she had studied French, Italian and biology as well as politics in her BA. She graduated from Blackwood High School in 1984 in French, German, Modern History, Classics and Biology.

Her parents were academics at Flinders University (father in History, mother in French) and her only sibling, brother Stephen, works in international development and aid. Her parents met at Oxford University and migrated to Australia to work at Flinders University in its early days.

She was active in the environment movement during her university years, including roles with Greenpeace, the Wilderness Society SA and the SA Conservation Council. She participated in the establishment of both the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary[1] and International Bird Sanctuary[2] in the Port River estuary.

She worked as a public servant from 2003 to 2011, largely in the Department for Environment and Heritage. She previously was the head of student services at the University of Adelaide.

Close has two children with her partner Declan.

Parliament

Close retained the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Port Adelaide for Labor at the 2012 by-election with a 42.3 per cent primary and a 52.9 per cent two-candidate-preferred vote.[3][4] The by-election was held after the resignation of the previous Labor incumbent Kevin Foley.[5] She was re-elected with two-party-preferred votes above 60 per cent at the 2014 election[3] and the 2018 election.[6][7]

Close has chaired two parliamentary committees: Sustainable Farming Practices, and Dogs and Cats as Companion Animals. She has also been a member of two other parliamentary committees: Port Augusta Power Stations, and Aboriginal Lands.[1] She introduced a private members bill for equal marriage in 2013 but was unsuccessful.[8]

Close entered the Weatherill Ministry in March 2014, initially as the Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade and the Minister for the Public Sector. After Martin Hamilton-Smith joined the cabinet she served as the Minister for Automotive Transformation and the Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation. She was the Minister for Education and Child Development from 2015 to 2018, and the Minister for Higher Education and Skills from 2016 to 2018.[1]

Deputy Labor leadership

After the 2018 election, Peter Malinauskas became Leader of the Opposition and succeeded Jay Weatherill who had resigned as Labor leader, with Close as deputy, following a Labor caucus meeting on 9 April 2018.[9][10][11]

Close is the Labor spokesperson for Climate Change, Environment and Water, Higher Education and Industry. She holds adjunct professorships with both Flinders University in the College of Business, Government and Law, and the University of South Australia.

Following her party's victory at the 2022 state election, she was sworn in as Deputy Premier and Minister for Environment and Water on 21 March 2022.[12][13] She was further sworn in as Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and Minister for Defence and Space Industries on 24 March 2022, and her Environment and Water portfolio becoming the Minister for Climate, Environment and Water.[14]

References
  1. "Dr Susan Close". Members of the Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  2. Port Gawler Conservation Park Hansard, South Australian House of Assembly, 31 May 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  3. State election results: ECSA
  4. 2012 Port Adelaide by-election result: ABC
  5. 2012 Port Adelaide by-election guide: ABC
  6. 2018 Port Adelaide election result: ABC
  7. "Notional two-party preferred results". ECSA. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  8. Same-sex marriage bill voted down in South Australian Parliament: ABC 25 July 2013
  9. "Peter Malinauskas sets the tone for SA Labor Opposition after meteoric rise". abc.net.au. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  10. "Malinauskas takes charge: 'We need to listen to SA'". indaily.com.au. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  11. "Ex union boss Peter Malinauskas elected SA's opposition leader, with Susan Close as deputy". adelaidenow.com.au. 9 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  12. "SA election 2022: Liberal minister Corey Wingard set to lose seat, One Nation could gain in upper house". ABC News. 20 March 2022.
  13. "Governor's Instruments (18)" (PDF). South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. 21 March 2022. p. 890. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  14. "Governor's Instruments (19)" (PDF). South Australian Government Gazette. Government of South Australia. 24 March 2022. p. 894-895. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
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