Col Miller (politician)

Col Miller
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Ithaca
In office 28 May 1966 – 1 Nov 1986
Preceded by	Robert Windsor
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Personal details
Born	Colin John Miller 28 April 1924 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Liberal Party
Spouse(s)	Grace Warner Weathered (m.1949 d.1985), Janice Bartlett (m.1991)
Occupation	Painter
Religion	Uniting Church

Colin John (Col) Miller (born 28 April 1924) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1966 to 1986, representing the electorate of Ithaca as a Liberal (1966-1984) and as an independent (1984-1986).^[1]

Miller was born in Brisbane, Queensland, to parents Charles Miller and his wife Ann Jane (née Weathered). He was educated at the Rainworth State School and the Central Technical College. In World War Two he was a corporal in the Australian Imperial Force and was assigned to the 2/3 Field Park from 1943-1946. He became a painter on leaving the armed forces. A member of the Freemasons, Miller was also a member of the local Lions Club. He was the chairman of the RSL from 1959 until 1966.

Miller, for the Liberal Party, held the seat of Ithaca in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from in 1966 until his retirement from politics in 1986.^[1] He was the Minister for Environment, Valuation and Administrative Services for fourteen days in 1983, having been appointed to replace sacked minister Terry White before all Liberal ministers subsequently resigned.^[2] In November 1983, he was the unsuccessful Liberal nominee for Speaker against National John Warner.^[3]

Miller was a conservative within the Liberal Party, and in July 1984, he resigned from the party, "at least partly sparked by" the preselection of moderate Terry Gygar for the Stafford by-election. Although it had been rumoured that he would join former colleagues Don Lane and Brian Austin in defecting to the National Party, this did not occur and he continued to sit as an independent.^[4][3] He retired at the 1986 state election.^[5]

On the 13 June 1949, Miller married Grace Warner Weathered and together had three sons. Grace died in 1985^[6] and on the 7 September 1991 he married Janice Bartlett.

References

1. "Former Members". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
2. Wanna, John and Arklay, Tracey. The Ayes Have It: History of Queensland Parliament 1957-1989 (PDF). ANU Press. p. 537.
3. Wanna, John and Arklay, Tracey. The Ayes Have It: History of Queensland Parliament 1957-1989 (PDF). ANU Press. p. 663.
4. "Political Chronicles 1985 (Qld)" (PDF). Australian Journal of Politics and History.
5. "Queensland Votes 2015: Mt Coot-tha". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
6. Family history research — Queensland Government births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. Retrieved 26 March 2016.