David Hamill

David John Hamill 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. 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.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 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 i