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The Hon. (Walt) Walter SECORD, MLC

Member Photo
Member of the Legislative Council
Shadow Minister for the Arts and Heritage, Shadow Minister for Police, Shadow Minister for Counter Terrorism, and Shadow Minister for the North Coast
Member of the Australian Labor Party
Term of service expires 57th Parliament (03 Mar 2023)
Contact Details
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Member of the Legislative Council
A The Hon. Walt Secord, MLC
Parliament House
Macquarie Street
SYDNEY NSW 2000
P (02) 9230 2146
E walt.secord@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Parliamentary Activity
Current Positions
Position Start Notes
Member of the NSW Legislative Council 24 May 2011 Elected to fill vacancy caused by the resignation of the Hon. Edward Obeid.
Shadow Minister for Counter Terrorism 12 Jun 2021
Shadow Minister for Police 12 Jun 2021
Shadow Minister for the Arts and Heritage 12 Jun 2021
Shadow Minister for the North Coast 12 Jun 2021
Member, Portfolio Committee No. 2 - Health 15 May 2019
Member, Select Committee on the Government's management of the Powerhouse Museum and other museums and cultural projects in New South Wales 27 Feb 2020
Chair, Select Committee on the Response to Major Flooding across New South Wales in 2022 23 Mar 2022
Member, Select Committee on the Response to Major Flooding across New South Wales in 2022 23 Mar 2022
Prior Positions
Position Start End Period Notes
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council 08 Apr 2015 02 Jul 2019 4 years 2 months 25 days
Shadow Minister for Health 19 Sep 2014 03 Jul 2019 4 years 9 months 15 days
Shadow Minister for the Arts 10 Mar 2016 25 May 2021 5 years 2 months 16 days
Shadow Minister for Mental Health 27 Nov 2018 03 Jul 2019 7 months 7 days
Shadow Minister for Medical Research 27 Nov 2018 03 Jul 2019 7 months 7 days
Shadow Minister for the North Coast 11 Dec 2013 03 Jul 2019 5 years 6 months 23 days
Shadow Special Minister of State 03 Jul 2019 25 May 2021 1 year 10 months 23 days
Shadow Treasurer 03 Jul 2019 25 May 2021 1 year 10 months 23 days
Shadow Minister for Liquor Regulation 19 Sep 2014 07 Apr 2015 6 months 20 days
Member, Select Committee on off-protocol prescribing of chemotherapy in NSW 11 Aug 2016 18 May 2017 9 months 8 days
Member, General Purpose Standing Committee No. 1 22 Jun 2011 06 Mar 2015 3 years 8 months 13 days
Member, Staysafe (Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety) 22 Jun 2011 06 Mar 2015 3 years 8 months 13 days
Member, Joint Select Committee on the Parliamentary Budget Office 26 Aug 2011 02 Dec 2011 3 months 7 days
Member, Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission 19 Jun 2019 25 Jun 2021 2 years 7 days
Member, Committee on the Health Care Complaints Commission 02 Jun 2015 01 Mar 2019 3 years 9 months
Member, Procedure Committee 28 May 2019 03 Jul 2019 1 month 6 days
Member, Procedure Committee 12 May 2015 01 Mar 2019 3 years 9 months 18 days
Member, Portfolio Committee No. 3 - Education 14 May 2015 01 Mar 2019 3 years 9 months 16 days
Member, Select Committee on the State Senate Bill 2015 30 Nov 2017 04 Jul 2018 7 months 5 days
Member, Select Committee on Animal Cruelty Laws in New South Wales 12 Aug 2019 04 Jun 2020 9 months 24 days
Member, Select Committee on the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission 01 Oct 2020 21 Jun 2021 8 months 22 days
Shadow Minister for Roads 11 Dec 2013 19 Sep 2014 9 months 9 days
Shadow Minister for Water and Shadow Special Minister of State 17 Oct 2012 11 Dec 2013 1 year 1 month 25 days
Substitute Member, Standing Committee on Social Issues 11 Nov 2021 22 Feb 2022 3 months 12 days Crimes Amendment (Display of Nazi Symbols) Bill 2021
Substitute Member, Portfolio Committee No. 4 - Customer Service and Natural Resources 29 Jun 2016 28 Feb 2019 2 years 8 months Inquiry into museums and galleries
Parliamentary Record
Mr Secord's speeches in Hansard
Mr Secord's questions published in the Question & Answer Paper
Mr Secord's Notices of Motion given in Parliament
About the Electorate

Biography
Political Party Activity

Member, NSW ALP, 1991 to current. Various positions, NSW ALP including: Chair, NSW ALP International Relations (Foreign Affairs) Committee, 2005. Deputy Chair, Parliamentary Friends of Israel. Deputy co-Chair, Parliamentary Friends of Armenia.

Community Activity

Member, Association for Canadian Studies in Australia and New Zealand. Member, MEAA union. Member, Reprieve Australia. Member, Sydney Film Festival. Director, Sydney International Film Festival, 2005-2009.

Local Government Activity

Military Service

Honours Received

Mavor Moore Award for Playwriting, York University, June 1987. Australian Human Rights Awards, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 1991. The Australian Press Council Prize (Postgraduate) in Media and Communications, University of Sydney, May 2012. 2012 Friend of the Armenian Community Award, November 2012.

Personal

Mr Secord was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and grew up on the Mississaugas of the New Credit (Indian reserve) First Nation in southern Ontario. Educated at the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation elementary school; JC Hill Elementary (Six Nations Indian Reserve) School and Hagersville Secondary School. He became an Australian citizen in June 1992. Mr Secord is interested in Indigenous issues, community development, the prevention of genocide, inter-faith activity and the abolition of the death penalty. Other interests include; cinema, reading, travel and ice hockey. Mr Secord has one daughter.

Qualifications, Occupations and Interests

Bachelor of Arts (Hons), York University (Canada) 1984-1988. Clerk, Youth Employment Services, 1986. Journalist, Toronto Star, 1987. Journalist, Australian Jewish News, 1988 - 1991. Various positions including; Chief of Staff, Director of Communications, and Press Secretary at local, state and federal levels, 1991-2011. Masters Degree (Strategic Public Relations) University of Sydney, 2013.

Additional Information

Inaugural speech, 2 June 2011: