Member of the Legislative Council
Shadow Treasurer, Shadow Special Minister of State, and Shadow Minister for the Arts
Member of the Australian Labor Party
Term of service expires 57th Parliament (03 Mar 2023)
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
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: