David Hamill

David John Hamill AM born at Ipswich, Queensland on 18 September 1957, is a former Labor Queensland politician, who served in a number of positions including Minister for Transport and Minister Assisting the Premier on Economic and Trade Development, Minister for Education and Treasurer. He was elected to the Queensland Parliament as member for Ipswich in 1983 and held the seat until 2001.[1] He was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001 and in 2009 he made a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia award.[2]

Married to Patricia Evatt, a great-niece of Dr H. V. Evatt, the former High Court Judge and Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party, they have four children. Awarded the Queensland Rhodes Scholarship in 1979, David took a BA (Hons) from Queensland University and then an MA from Oxford. Prior to his election he had been a lecturer/tutor in political science at the University of Queensland[3] and later a research officer with the then federal leader of the ALP and later, Governor General Bill Hayden.

He was President of the Ipswich Electorate Executive 1982–89. State President, Young Labor, 1978; President Oxley Federal Divisional Executive 1984–88; delegate to various Committees, State Council, State Conference and national Conference.

Elected on 22 October 1983 as the State Member for Ipswich following the retirement of Sir Llew Edwards. In Opposition between 1983 and 1989 he was variously Opposition Spokesperson on Family Services, Youth and Education.

From December 1989 until February 1996 he was a member of the Goss Labor Cabinet, initially as Minister for Transport and Minister Assisting the Premier on Economic and Trade Development, where he undertook fundamental reform of the transport system and particularly Queensland Rail, and then as Minister for Education. He served as Shadow Treasurer between 1996 and 1998, before becoming Treasurer with the election of the Beattie Labor government. He held this position until his retirement from the parliament in 2001.[4] In his role as Treasurer he represented Queensland in negotiations leading to the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax in Australia.

After retiring from Parliament, Hamill undertook a PhD degree at the University of Queensland, and published his research as a book The impact of the new tax system on Australian Federalism.[3] He has served as a director or chairman of several corporations and NGOs including Prime Infrastructure Holdings, the Australian Red Cross Blood Service,[5] Queensland Museum,[6] the Senate of the University of Queensland and Regional Development Australia, Ipswich and West Moreton Inc. He is currently a director of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP and Brookfield Business Partners LP, and Chairs the Boards of the Gladstone Airport Corporation, UQ College and Ensham Workers' Entitlements Fund. He is also a member of the Board of the Australian Red Cross Society.