Walt Secord joins AIJAC
Secord will begin his new role this month with AIJAC which he calls "one of the most respected think tanks and advocacy bodies in Australia."
Former NSW Labor MP Walt Secord says he is “humbled” to join the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), where he has been appointed as director of public affairs.
Secord will begin his new role this month after his appointment was announced this week by AIJAC national chairman Mark Leibler and AIJAC executive director Colin Rubenstein.
“I am pleased and humbled to work with AIJAC,” Secord said.
“It is one of the most respected think tanks and advocacy bodies in Australia. Politicians from all sides are aware of its important work and its programs like Rambam which provide first-hand insights into Israel.
“In Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, London and Washington, AIJAC is viewed with respect. It does vital work improving Israel’s standing, fighting racism and antisemitism, and building alliances and networking not just in Australia and New Zealand, but also in Asia and the Pacific region.
“I am greatly looking forward to being part of this team.”
Secord has been active in Labor Party politics for more than 31 years, including more than 11 years as a senior Labor shadow minister. He has served in a dozen roles, including four years as deputy opposition leader in the Legislative Council and almost two years as shadow treasurer, serving under four Opposition leaders.
He was deputy chair of the NSW Parliamentary Friends of Israel from 2011 to 2023 and was NSW patron of the Labor Israel Action Committee.
“Walt Secord has an unrivalled track record. He is one of the nation’s most experienced political figures and media strategists. He has been at the forefront of Australian politics for more than three decades,” Leibler and Rubenstein said.
Before entering Parliament, Secord served in the most senior roles at local, NSW and federal levels, including chief of staff to the NSW premier (2009-2011); director of communications to the federal opposition leader, who became prime minister (2007); and chief of staff to the national minister for aged care (2007-2009).
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Secord is the son of an Ojibway-Mohawk First Nations father and an Anglo-Canadian mother. He has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from York University in Toronto and has a masters degree from the University of Sydney.
After working as a journalist at the Toronto Star, he migrated to Australia in September 1988. Secord then worked at The AJN from 1988 to 1991, where he won an Australian Human Rights Award in 1991 for a series of articles.
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