Mr Smith, who played seven seasons in top-flight basketball in Australia, has been named as Labor's candidate for the seat of Leichhardt at the next federal election.
The seat takes in Cairns, Port Douglas and stretches as far north as the Cape York Peninsula and is among targets for the Labor government as it looks to increase its electoral fortunes in Queensland.
It is held by the coalition's Warren Entsch, who has been the sitting MP since 1996, with the exception of one term between 2007 and 2010.
Nothing but net. Matt Smith was an asset to the Cairns Taipans and I'm pleased he will be Labor's candidate for Leichhardt at the next election. — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) Matt's raising his two daughters here with his partner Renee. pic.twitter.com/aeJrtGyz7tJuly 19, 2024
Mr Entsch, who is retiring from politics at the next election, won Leichhardt with a 3.4 per cent margin, despite suffering a slight swing of 0.7 per cent away from him in 2022.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said after several seasons with the Cairns Taipans, Mr Smith was already a community champion on and off the court.
"He's someone who's devoted his life to making a difference here, and he's gone into just about every school and into communities, providing support for young people, encouraging a healthy lifestyle," the PM told ABC Radio on Friday.
"He's a voice which is well known to people in this community, and I think following on from (Warren Entsch) who's been a long term servant of this community."
The candidate announcement comes after the prime minister unveiled Labor's picks for other Queensland seats including Herbert, Ryan, Forde and Dickson, the seat held by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Labor holds just five of the 30 electorates in the Sunshine State.
The coalition is yet to pre-select its candidate for Leichhardt.
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