Tom Switzer


Tom Switzer is the Executive Director of the Centre for Independent Studies, a Sydney-based independent policy research think tank. He is also the host of Between the Lines on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National and a columnist at Fairfax Media.

Early life and education

Switzer attended St Aloysius' College in Kirribilli, where he was an Australian schools track and field champion in 1989, and was trained by Australian Olympic coach Jackie Byrnes. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 1994; and a Masters in International Relations in 1995; both from the University of Sydney.

Career

He is a former senior associate at the University of Sydney's United States Studies Centre, editor of The Spectator Australia, opinion editor for The Australian, an editorial writer at The Australian Financial Review and assistant editor at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC.
In 2008, he was senior adviser to federal Liberal Party Leader Brendan Nelson until the leadership spill that resulted in Nelson's defeat by Malcolm Turnbull. In 2009, after Nelson resigned from Parliament, Switzer was a candidate to replace him in the by-election and received endorsements from John Howard, Tony Abbott and Peter Costello. Switzer was defeated in the fifth round, with Paul Fletcher selected as eventual candidate.
Switzer's analysis of Australian politics has been published in international media, including The Wall Street Journal in opinion articles such as "Howard's End", "Defenestration Down Under", and "The Triumph of Tony Abbott".
His articles on US foreign policy have appeared in The New York Times, The National Interest, The Asian Wall Street Journal, and the Spectator magazine.