Deane Wells
Encyclopedia
Dean MacMillan Wells is an Australia
n politician. He has been a Labor
member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
since 1986 was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives
from 1983 to 1984.
Born of Australian parents in Hiroshima
, Japan
, he was educated at Monash University
before becoming a lawyer. Later, he was a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Queensland
and an author and political commentator. In the autumn of 1981 he lectured at Saint David's University College, Lampeter in Wales. In 1983, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives
as the Labor
member for Petrie
, defeating sitting Liberal
member John Hodges
. Hodges defeated Wells in 1984. In 1986, Wells was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly
as the member for Murrumba
, and in 1989 was appointed Attorney-General, a position he held until 1995. In 1998, he was appointed Minister for Education; in 2001 he was shifted to become Minister for the Environment, a position he held until 2004.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. He has been a Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
since 1986 was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
from 1983 to 1984.
Born of Australian parents in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, he was educated at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
before becoming a lawyer. Later, he was a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...
and an author and political commentator. In the autumn of 1981 he lectured at Saint David's University College, Lampeter in Wales. In 1983, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
as the Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member for Petrie
Division of Petrie
The Division of Petrie is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland. The division was created in 1949 and named after Andrew Petrie , a noted civil engineer, pioneer and explorer, and the first free settler in Brisbane ....
, defeating sitting Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
member John Hodges
John Hodges (Australian politician)
John Charles Hodges is a former Australian politician. He was born in Brisbane, Queensland and was a pharmacist before entering the Parliament of Australia...
. Hodges defeated Wells in 1984. In 1986, Wells was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
as the member for Murrumba
Electoral district of Murrumba
The district of Murrumba is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.The district is based in the outer northern suburbs of Brisbane. It includes the suburbs of Deception Bay, Kippa-Ring, Murrumba Downs and Rothwell...
, and in 1989 was appointed Attorney-General, a position he held until 1995. In 1998, he was appointed Minister for Education; in 2001 he was shifted to become Minister for the Environment, a position he held until 2004.