Russ Hinze

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The Hon Russell James Hinze (19 June 1919 - 29 June 1991), born in Oxenford on the Gold Coast, was one of Queensland's best known politicians of the 1970s and 1980s. He presided over an era of controversy that included the setting up of the Racing Development Fund, ministerial rezonings, and the licensing of Jupiters Casino. One of Hinze's favourite sayings was: 'never hold an inquiry unless you know what the outcome will be'.

Hinze's career in public life spanned almost four decades, first in local government in the 1950s and 1960s, and then in State Government from 1966 to 1988.

Apart from his early years, he spent a life-time living and working in the Oxenford area, where he was born. Russ Hinze was a dairy-farmer who, after becoming chairman of the South Coast Cooperative Dairy Association, was elected to the Albert Shire Council in the early 1950s.

He served as shire chairman for nine years between 1958 and 1967. In 1966, Russ Hinze entered the State political arena as the member for South Coast, representing the then Country Party. After eight years as a backbench member of the coalition Government, he was promoted to Cabinet and quickly established a high profile as a hard-working Minister.

In 1971, whilst still on the back bench, Hinze was part of a plot within the Country Party parliamentary wing to topple Bjelke-Petersen that failed only through the votes of Joh himself and two proxies.

Between 1974 and 1987, he was Minister for Local Government and Main Roads. From 1980 to 1987, he was Minister for Racing. Between 1980 and 1982, he was Minister for Police, a portfolio allocation which earned him the commonly known title of 'Minister for Everything'.

In 1988, Hinze resigned from State Parliament.

Hinze was known as 'the father of the modern Gold Coast', but his political career was controversial. After his death in 1991 Queensland Deputy Premier T.J. Burns remembered him in parliament with the following anecdote: "The best cartoon of him was the one that showed him as a bulldog. I saw him on television describing why he would rather be a bulldog than a mouse, but he was shown as a bulldog with dark glasses and a white cane outside a casino and brothel in the Valley that had a flashing neon light, saying he did not know there were any there."