Denver Beanland AM
Denver Beanland, 2019
Manager of Opposition Business in Queensland
In office 30 July 1998 – 17 February 2001
Leader	Rob Borbidge
Preceded by	Terry Mackenroth
Succeeded by	Kev Lingard
Attorney-General of Queensland and Minister for Justice
In office 26 February 1996 – 26 June 1998
Premier	Rob Borbidge
Preceded by	Matt Foley
Succeeded by	Matt Foley
Deputy Leader of the Queensland Liberal Party
In office 31 July 1995 – 23 June 1998
Leader	Joan Sheldon
Preceded by	Santo Santoro
Succeeded by	Bob Quinn
In office 19 December 1989 – 13 May 1990
Leader	Angus Innes
Preceded by	Peter Beard
Succeeded by	David Watson
Shadow Attorney-General Shadow Minister for Justice
In office 2 November 1992 – 19 February 1996
Leader	Rob Borbidge
Preceded by	Tony FitzGerald
Succeeded by	Matt Foley
Leader of the Queensland Liberal Party
In office 13 May 1990 – 11 November 1991
Deputy	David Watson
Preceded by	Angus Innes
Succeeded by	Joan Sheldon
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Indooroopilly Toowong (1986–1992)
In office 1 November 1986 – 17 February 2001
Preceded by	Earle Bailey
Succeeded by	Ronan Lee
Personal details
Born	Denver Edward Beanland (1945-01-26) 26 January 1945 Kilcoy, Queensland, Australia
Political party	Liberal Party
Alma mater	University of Queensland
Occupation	Bank officer

Denver Edward Beanland AM (born 26 January 1945) is a former politician in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and leader of the Queensland Liberal Party.

Early life

Denver Edward Beanland was born on 26 January 1945 at St Margaret's Private Hospital, Kilcoy, Queensland, the only son of Norman Edward Beanland and his wife Gwendoline (née Runge). The family lived a dairy farm called Avondale (originally owned by Beanland's grandfather Herbert Beanland) located at Mary Smokes Creek, between Kilcoy and Woodford.^[1]

Beanland attended the Kalangara State School at Stoney Creek, four miles from his home. He continued his secondary education at Caboolture State High School.^[1]

Local politics

Beanland was elected as an Alderman of the Brisbane City Council in 1976 and served on that Council, including a period as Deputy Lord Mayor of Brisbane until 1986.

State politics

In 1986, Beanland was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, in 1986, as the member for Toowong. He represented Toowong until 1992, at which time it was renamed Indooroopilly.^[2]

Beanland was leader of the Liberal Party in the Queensland Parliament from May 1990 until November 1991, when he was ousted by Joan Sheldon.^[3] Although he did not return to the Liberal leadership, he became deputy leader in 1995.

Denver Beanland served as Attorney-General in the Borbidge government from February 1996 to 20 June 1998.^[2] He also served as Opposition Spokesperson, prior to 1996, for a number of portfolios including Justice, Transport and Land Management.^[4]

In 1997 a vote of no-confidence was passed against him as Attorney-General over his role in the Carruthers and Connolly-Ryan Inquiries. In an unprecedented decision he refused to resign in the wake of the no-confidence vote, citing his lack of personal responsibility for the scandal.^[5]

He was supported by Premier Rob Borbidge who says he decides who is in his Cabinet not Parliament.

He lost his seat of Indooroopilly at the 2001 state election.^[6]

Later life

After leaving politics, Beanland studied at the University of Queensland, completing a Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in history in 2007. The topic of his PhD thesis was former Queensland Premier Thomas McIlwraith.^[7]

Denver Beanland has been the President of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland since 2020 after having previously been its President from 2007 to 2009.^[8] In 2019 he was elected a Fellow of the Society.^[9]

In 2015 Beanland was appointed by the Abbott government to chair the National Archives Advisory Council.^[10][11]

On 7 June 2020, Beanland was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the people and Parliament of Queensland, and to archival and historical organisations.^[12]

Publications

• — (1993). The Family of Thomas and Lydia Emma Kinton Beanland. Boolarong. ISBN 978-0-86439-155-1.
• — (2007). "PhD thesis". Queensland Caesar: Sir Thomas McIlwraith (PDF). School of History, Philosophy, Religion, and Classics, University of Queensland.
• — (2009). A Court Apart: The District Court of Queensland. Supreme Court of Queensland Library. ISBN 978-0-9803220-4-0.
• — (2013). The Queensland Caesar, Sir Thomas McIlwraith. Brisbane Boolarong Press. ISBN 978-1-922109-55-2.

References