Martin Hamilton-Smith is a former senior officer in Army Special Forces, entrepreneur and businessman, who in a third career served twenty-one years in the South Australian parliament. First elected in 1997 as the Member for Waite, rising through the ranks to become Cabinet Secretary in the Olsen Liberal Government, Minister for Tourism and Innovation in the Kerin Liberal Government, Leader of the SA Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition. Unhappy with factional divisions and the leadership of the state division of the Liberal Party after sixteen years in opposition, he resigned to become an independent Liberal MP, and then accepted a cabinet position in the Weatherill Labor Government as Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Minister for Small Business, Minister for Health Industries and Minister for Veterans Affairs. He left public office in 2018 and now lives in Adelaide and is active in public policy, industry and business strategy, sovereign capability issues, veterans' affairs and as a media commentator.