Dean Wells (politician)

Dean MacMillan Wells (born 13 January 1949) is an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1986 to 2012[1] and was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1983 to 1984.

The Honourable Dean Wells
Member of Parliament for Petrie
In office 5 March 1983 – 1 December 1984
Preceded by	John Hodges
Succeeded by	John Hodges
Member of the Queensland Parliament for Murrumba
In office 1 November 1986 – 24 March 2012
Preceded by	Joe Kruger
Succeeded by	Reg Gulley
Personal details
Born	(1949-01-13) 13 January 1949 Hiroshima, Japan
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Labor
Alma mater	Monash University
Profession	Lawyer, Lecturer, Barrister
Website	romamitchellchambers.com.au/dean-wells/

Born of Australian parents in Hiroshima, Japan, he was educated at Monash University before becoming a lawyer. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in 1972, before completing his Master of Arts in 1976. Finally in 1980, he obtained his Bachelor of Laws.[2] 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 Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the member for Murrumba, and in 1989 was appointed Attorney-General, a position he held until 1995. He was appointed Minister for Justice and served this position between 1992 to 1995, while he also served as Minister for Arts.[3] 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.[4] He was defeated in the 2012 election by the Liberal National Party's Reg Gulley.

He was called to the Queensland Bar in 2009, and now practices as a barrister specialising in Criminal Law, Public/Administrative Law and Human Rights /Discrimination/Equal Opportunity Law. Since 2013, he has also been is part of the teaching staff part time at the Queensland University of Technology.[5]

References

1. http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=803
2. "The Hon Dean Wells Roma Chambers".
3. "Dean WellsnInterviewed by Robin Sullivan & Rodney Sullivan". 2012.
4. Carr, Adam (2008). "Australian Election Archive". Psephos, Adam Carr's Election Archive. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
5. "The Hon Dean Wells Roma Chambers".

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by John Hodges	Member for Petrie 1983–1984	Succeeded by John Hodges
Parliament of Queensland
Preceded by Joe Kruger	Member for Murrumba 1986–2012	Succeeded by Reg Gulley