Hollis, Mr RK

Hon. DF CRISAFULLI (Broadwater—LNP) (Premier and Minister for Veterans) (2.07 pm): I move— 1. That this House desires to place on record its appreciation of the services rendered to this State by the late

Raymond Keith Hollis, a former member and Speaker of the Parliament of Queensland. 2. That Mr Speaker be requested to convey to the family of the deceased gentleman the above resolution, together with an

expression of the sympathy and sorrow of the Members of the Parliament of Queensland, in the loss they have sustained.

Raymond Keith Hollis was born in London on 30 January 1940. He was raised in London and had a tough upbringing during and after World War II. He was raised by his mum as a single parent and spent time in an orphanage. Mr Hollis left school at 15 and worked as a farmhand before he went to sea, working as a galley boy, a cook and a steward. It was his work as a merchant seaman that led him to move to Australia in 1962. Upon arrival Mr Hollis moved to South Australia, where he worked on the railways, as a cook, as a paper mill operator and as an insurance salesman. He also spent time with the corrective services department in Victoria before moving to Queensland in the 1970s. Mr Hollis settled in Redcliffe, where he went on to own and operate a transport and distribution business.

Being interested in politics and current affairs, Mr Hollis made several unsuccessful attempts to enter parliament. He first ran for state politics in 1979, contesting the Redcliffe by-election as an Independent. Two attempts at federal politics for the Australian Democrats followed: for the federal seat of Petrie in 1983 and for the Senate in 1984. In 1986 Mr Hollis joined the Australian Labor Party. At the 1989 state election he contested the seat of Redcliffe for the ALP which he was able to win from the Liberal Party member, Terry White. During his time in this place Mr Hollis served in many roles. Most notably, he served as Speaker of this House for almost seven years from July 1998. He held the position until his resignation as a member in July 2005.

Raymond Keith Hollis passed away on 18 December 2025. He was aged 85 years. On behalf of the government I place on record our thanks to Mr Hollis for his service over many years. I extend my sympathy and that of this House to his family and friends, many of whom join us today. Vale, Ray Hollis.

Hon. SJ MILES (Murrumba—ALP) (Leader of the Opposition) (2.09 pm): I rise on behalf of the Queensland Labor opposition to express our sorrow on the passing of Raymond Keith Hollis, a former member of this parliament and a former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Ray was the member for Redcliffe for 16 years through some of Queensland’s darkest days. He came to this parliament to be a strong voice for Moreton Bay, an area that had been neglected by the Bjelke-Petersen government. Ray was a proud advocate for workers, having been a prison guard, a railway worker, a cook and a paper mill operator before he was elected.

In his time in this House, Ray was a proud Speaker of the House and used this role to modernise this place into the parliament we know today. Ray is remembered locally for the positive impact he had on our Moreton Bay community and his dedication to public service. Sixteen years is no short stint and, as many of us know, that takes a toll on time spent with family. So to Ray’s family—wife, Ju Fen; children, Michael, Peter, Jennifer, Stephen and his wife, Maribel; and grandsons, Rogan and Chris—I say thank you for sharing your husband, father and grandfather with us and with Queenslanders. On behalf of the Labor Party I say thank you for your service to our movement and to Queensland. Vale, Ray Hollis.

Mr WHITING (Bancroft—ALP) (2.15 pm): I rise to contribute to this condolence motion for Ray Hollis, the former member for Redcliffe and former Speaker of the Queensland parliament. I associate myself with those condolence remarks that have been made so far. I also acknowledge Ju Fen, his children and grandchildren, friends and other family with us today.

I first met Ray when he was the member for Redcliffe about 25 years ago when I was a brash young councillor for the Deception Bay area. When he asked me to work on local projects with him in the area, including the Red Shield Appeal, the answer could only be a yes due to the way he asked. I always found him to be courteous and a gentleman and he was always respectful. I always sensed his decorum and dignity and I always saw his genuine dedication to the people of Redcliffe as well as his genuine love for them.

I did not know him as well as the Hon. Dean Wells, my Labor predecessor as the member for Murrumba. Dean is a Labor legend—a former federal member for Petrie, a former state member for Murrumba and attorney-general in the Goss government who guided us through those legal reforms at the time. Dean is with us today—or he will be with us—in the gallery. I spoke to Dean about Ray as they served in neighbouring seats and worked closely together. I asked him what he remembers most about Ray. Dean said that few Speakers of this House have made as significant an impact on parliamentary life as Ray did, and he did it with just one decision that he made shortly after taking the Speaker’s chair. Until Ray’s time, members of this House had the letters MLA after their name and often their constituents did not know what those letters meant. Ray changed that with a stroke of the pen. Since his time as Speaker, members of this House have been called MPs.

Dean also said that Ray would be seen at everything on the peninsula that opens and shuts. People often speak of Ray’s friendly smile and his cooperative approach to every problem. Ray worked on the assumption that every project undertaken for the benefit of the people of the peninsula was going to succeed and was going to be a shared endeavour.

Ray was born in East London; he was a cockney and was actually born within hearing of Bow Bells. Growing up during his early years in the immediate postwar era, even though they lived in London he and his young mates had plenty of open spaces to play cricket and other games. The German bombers had seen to that, and it was not until many years later that they learned there were many unexploded bombs buried beneath their playgrounds. Many people did not even notice that Ray was English by birth. Ray used to say that the East End accent is more like the Australian accent than any other because so many of the convicts came from there.

Dean further said that Ray was his friend and colleague. They worked together on many projects for the people of the Redcliffe peninsula. Dean told me of one night shortly after Ray was elected Speaker when a division had just been called. He took the opportunity while the bells were ringing to approach the Speaker’s chair to talk to Ray about one of their joint projects. Dean began by saying, ‘Well, Ray, it’s a long way from hearing the great bell of Bow to ordering division bells to ring in the Queensland parliament.’ Ray smiled and replied, ‘Yes, but it has been a very worthwhile journey.’ The life of Ray Hollis was indeed a very worthwhile journey. Vale, Ray Hollis.