Walt Secord facts for kids

Walter Secord (born 25 December 1964) is a Canadian-born former Australian politician. He was a member of the Labor Party in the New South Wales Legislative Council from May 2011 to March 2023.

Before becoming a politician, Walt Secord was a top advisor to former NSW Premier, Kristina Keneally. He also supports the Labor Israel Action Committee in NSW.

Early Life and Education

Walt Secord was born on December 25, 1964, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He grew up on the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation in Southern Ontario. He is a Mohawk-Ojibwe man, and his father is officially recognized as Indigenous.

He spent his first 17 years living on an Indigenous reserve. He has said he is "fiercely proud of [his] aboriginal ancestry" and that it helps him care about "social justice." Walt has two siblings. His brother, Dan, works to support Indigenous rights in Canada. Dan also leads Ojibway language camps for Indigenous prisoners. Walt was the first person in his father's family to finish high school and to fly in an airplane.

Early Career and Studies

Walt Secord studied arts at York University in Toronto, Canada. After university, he worked as a journalist for the Toronto Star newspaper. In September 1988, he moved to Australia. He became an Australian citizen in June 1992.

From 1988 to 1991, he worked at the Australian Jewish News. In November 1991, he won an Australian Human Rights Award for a series of articles he wrote for the newspaper. Later, in 2013, Secord earned a master's degree in Strategic Public Relations from Sydney University. In May 2012, he also won the Australian Press Council Prize for his work in Media and Communications at the University of Sydney.

Political Career

Before he became a member of parliament, Walt Secord held important roles in government. He was a chief of staff for the NSW Premier from 2009 to 2011. He also worked as a chief of staff for the NSW Treasurer in 2009. From 1995 to 2005, he was the director of communications for the longest-serving NSW Premier.

He also worked for the Federal Opposition leader, who later became Prime Minister. From 2007 to 2009, he was the chief of staff for the national Minister for Ageing.

Serving in Parliament

Walt Secord became a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council in 2011. During his nearly twelve years in the NSW Parliament, he held many different roles. He was a "Shadow Minister" in more than a dozen areas. A Shadow Minister is a member of the opposition party who watches over a specific government department. He also served as the Deputy Opposition Leader in the Legislative Council for four years.

His roles as Shadow Minister included:

• Health
• Roads
• Police and Counter Terrorism
• Special Minister of State
• Mental Health
• Medical Research
• Water
• Arts and Heritage
• Liquor Regulation
• North Coast

In July 2019, he was appointed Shadow Treasurer, Shadow Minister for the Arts, and Shadow Special Minister of State in the shadow cabinet led by Jodi McKay. After a by-election in May 2021, there was talk that Jodi McKay might step down as party leader. When she announced she would not, Walt Secord resigned from the shadow cabinet on May 25, 2021. He explained that he and Jodi McKay had different ideas on important decisions and could no longer work together.

Secord continued to serve as Shadow Minister for the Arts and Heritage. He was also Shadow Minister for Police and Counter Terrorism and Shadow Minister for the North Coast in the NSW Shadow Cabinet. He held these roles until he resigned in August 2022.

In 2022, Walt Secord led a parliamentary inquiry into the major floods that happened that year. He also served as deputy chair of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel and the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Armenia. He was also the secretary of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of an Australian Head of State.

Resignation from Shadow Ministry

In August 2022, a report was published about inappropriate behavior in NSW Parliament workplaces. This report, led by Elizabeth Broderick, described various incidents. While the report kept names private, some information suggested Walt Secord was mentioned as someone who had been a "bully."

Walt Secord apologized for his behavior and resigned from his Shadow Ministry roles on August 15, 2022. He retired from parliament at the 2023 New South Wales state election.

Personal Life

Walt Secord married his partner in October 2021. He is the deputy chair of NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel. In 2020, he announced that he was converting to Judaism. He has visited Israel many times and previously worked for the Australian Jewish News. He described his conversion as a natural step in his life's journey.