Education
Born in Colac, Victoria, he attended the University of Melbourne and then Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University.
Born in Colac, Victoria, he attended the University of Melbourne and then Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University.
He became a teacher, later rising to senior lecturer and head of department at Ballarat College of Advanced Education. In 1980, he was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Ballarat, defeating Liberal Member of Parliament Jim Short. He held the seat until his own defeat in 1990 by Michael Ronaldson.