Robert Andrew Simms (born 26 March 1984) is an Australian
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
, representing the
Greens South Australia
Australian Greens SA is a green political party located in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a member of the federation of the Australian Greens party.
The party has four members in the federal and state parliaments: Sarah Hanson-Yo ...
. He was a
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for South Australia from 2015 to 2016, an Area
Councillor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
for the
City of Adelaide
The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council is a local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia and is legally defined as the capital city of South ...
from 2014 to 2015 and from 2018 to 2021. Since May 2021, he has been a member of the
South Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly. It sits in Parli ...
.
Early life
Simms was born on 26 March 1984 in
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, England,
the son of an English father and Australian mother originally from
Broken Hill, New South Wales
Broken Hill is an inland mining city in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia. It is near the border with South Australia on the crossing of the Barrier Highway (A32) and the Silver City Highway (B79), in the Barrier Range. It is ...
. The family moved to Australia in 1987 and settled in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. Simms attended primary school in
Flagstaff Hill Flagstaff Hill usually refers to a hill on which a flag was erected. It may refer to:
Place names Australia
* Flagstaff Hill, near Linton, Victoria
* Flagstaff Hill, Melbourne, a hill in the historic Flagstaff Gardens, Melbourne
* Flagstaff Hill, S ...
before going on to
Aberfoyle Park High School
Aberfoyle Park High School is a large state school, public secondary schools in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. Its facilities include the Community Library, Performing Arts Centre, Gymnasium, and the Informati ...
, where he was a member of the debating club and served on the student council. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (Honours), a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in politics and sociology) and a Graduate Certificate in Journalism.
he was partway through a PhD in political philosophy at
Flinders University
Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...
where he has also taught in the politics department.
In 2008 Simms was admitted as a barrister and solicitor.
He has worked in the community sector as a policy advocate, serving on the boards of a number of community organisations including the Youth Affairs Council and
AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
Council of South Australia.
He has also worked as a radio journalist and freelance writer.
Political career
Early career
Simms stood as a candidate for the
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Australia ...
in the seat of
Boothby at the
2004 federal election. He later stood for the Greens in
Enfield
Enfield may refer to:
Places Australia
* Enfield, New South Wales
* Enfield, South Australia
** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb
** Enfield High School (South Australia)
...
at the
2010 state election, and
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
in the
2014 state election. He was elected as an Adelaide councillor in 2014 and was a co-convenor of the
SA Greens
Australian Greens SA is a green political party located in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a member of the federation of the Australian Greens party.
The party has four members in the federal and state parliaments: Sarah Hanson-Y ...
in 2015. He resigned from the Council on 8 September 2015
to fill the vacancy caused by
Penny Wright's resignation from the Senate.
Senate career
Simms was a
Greens member of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
, representing the state of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
, from 22 September 2015 until his defeat at the
2016 election. Until the appointment of
James Paterson to the Senate in March 2016, he was the youngest serving senator and the second-youngest sitting MP (after
Wyatt Roy).
As a senator, Simms was the Greens parliamentary spokesperson on higher education, LGBT rights and marriage equality—portfolios previously held by Senators
Lee Rhiannon
Lee Rhiannon (formerly O'Gorman, ''née'' Brown; born 30 May 1951) is a former Australian politician who was a Senator for New South Wales between July 2011 and August 2018. She was elected at the 2010 federal election, representing the Austr ...
and
Janet Rice
Janet Elizabeth Rice (born 18 November 1960) is an Australian politician, member of the Australian Greens, former councillor and mayor of Maribyrnong, environmentalist, facilitator and one of the founding members of the Victorian Greens.
Early ...
.
Simms was one of five
openly-LGBTI members in the Parliament of Australia and supports
marriage equality in Australia.
State politics and return to city council
After his defeat in 2016, Simms was the Greens' candidate for Adelaide again at the
2018 state election,
and received 12.6% of the first preference votes (third of four candidates).
He was re-elected to City of Adelaide Council in 2018.
In 2021, he resigned from council for the second time, to fill a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of
Mark Parnell
Mark Charles Parnell (born 9 September 1959) is an Australian former politician and parliamentary leader of the SA Greens in the South Australian Legislative Council. He was the first SA Greens representative to be elected to the Parliament of ...
. Simms' previous resignation from Adelaide Council was to fill a casual vacancy in the Senate, caused by the resignation of Parnell's wife, Penny Wright.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simms, Robert
1984 births
Living people
Australian barristers
South Australian local councillors
Australian republicans
Flinders University faculty
Flinders University alumni
Gay politicians
Australian gay writers
Australian Greens members of the Parliament of Australia
Members of the Australian Senate
Members of the Australian Senate for South Australia
Members of the South Australian Legislative Council
Australian Greens members of the Parliament of South Australia
LGBT legislators in Australia
English emigrants to Australia
21st-century Australian politicians