Carl Judge

Carl Judge
Member of the Queensland Parliament for Yeerongpilly
In office 24 March 2012 – 31 January 2015
Preceded by	Simon Finn
Succeeded by	Mark Bailey
Personal details
Political party	Liberal National Party of Queensland (24 March 2012 – 29 November 2012) Independent (29 November 2012 – 30 April 2013, 8 October 2014 – present) Palmer United Party (30 April 2013 – 8 October 2014)
Occupation	Police officer

Carl John Judge was an Australian politician. He served as a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 2012 to 2015. He was elected as a member of the Liberal National Party, but quit the party to sit as an independent on 29 November 2012. He then joined the new United Australia Party (UAP) on 30 April 2013,.^[1] The UAP was subsequently rebranded as the Palmer United Party and Judge later became an independent again on 8 October 2014.^[2] Judge lost his seat at the 2015 election, coming fourth.

Education and career before politics

Judge holds a number of tertiary qualifications, including the Advanced Certificate in Policing, Diploma of Public Safety (Policing), Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (Police Investigation), Bachelor of Policing, Graduate Certificate in Professional Management and Master of Human Services Management and Policy.

Judge originally completed a trade qualification as a motor mechanic and then joined the Queensland Police Service. He served as a uniformed police officer including at one and two officer stations as well as at major regional and metropolitan stations before moving into an investigative career and successfully achieving appointment to detective status, awarded by the Queensland Police Detective Appointment Board. Judge served as a police officer throughout Queensland for over 20 years performing a variety of operational roles including at the Major Fraud and Corporate Crime Unit, Arson Squad, Organised Crime Unit and Task Force Argos, specialising extensively as a detective in child protection. As a detective, Judge was involved in a number of high profile cases including offences relating to institutional child abuse and the discovery of Natasha Ryan presumed murdered by an infamous serial killer, Leonard Fraser. Fraser was on trial for Ryan's murder among others when Judge discovered her hiding in a cupboard at North Rockhampton. Ms Ryan went into hiding at her boyfriend Scott Black's central Queensland home in 1998 when she was 14 and was not heard from for more than five years until a tip-off led to her discovery. Ryan's disappearance came about the time of a number of well-publicised disappearances of women and girls in Rockhampton, who were later found to be victims of serial killer Leonard John Fraser. After a distinguished career as a detective, Judge later served as a legislation and policy development officer and was promoted to the rank of Senior Sergeant before transitioning from policing to politics and entering the Queensland Parliament as the Member for Yeerongpilly (2012-2015). Judge was defeated as the Member for Yeerongpilly at the Queensland election on 31 January 2015 and soon thereafter commenced a role as a Research Officer with Queensland Parliamentary Services. He was appointed to serve the crossbench in this capacity during an historical period of Queensland experiencing a "hung parliament", presided over by the Labor Government.

Political career

Judge defeated Simon Finn at the 2012 state election and is the first Liberal/Liberal National Party member to hold the seat, formerly called Yeronga, since 1989.^[3] Judge was appointed to the Queensland Parliament's Member, Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee on 18 May 2012. He also served as a member of the Transport, Housing and Local Government Committee and was appointed to the Select Committee on Ethics.

On 29 November 2012, Judge resigned from the Liberal National Party to sit as an independent after having refused to pledge support to the then Premier Campbell Newman. His resignation followed another former LNP member quitting the Newman Government, Ray Hopper MP, and coincided with Dr Alex Douglas, a long term LNP member, also resigning. In 2013 both Judge and Douglas announced the revival of the United Australia Party (UAP) together with high profile Queensland entrepreneur and later Federal MP, Clive Palmer. The UAP was rebranded as the Palmer United Party. Douglas and then Judge later resigned to again sit as independents in the Queensland Parliament in 2014. During the term of the 54th Parliament Judge introduced a number of private members bills that effectively influenced various law reforms.

Awards

Judge has received the Queensland Police Service Medal, the National Police Service Medal and the Queensland Flood and Cyclone Citation 2010–11.

References

1. "Queensland MPs Alex Douglas and Carl Judge join Clive Palmer's United Australia Party". The Courier-Mail. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
2. Tin, Jason (8 October 2014). "Queensland MP Carl Judge quits Palmer United Party". The Courier Mail. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
3. Green, Antony. "Yeerongpilly". Queensland Votes 2012. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 December 2012.

External links

• Carl Judge, Queensland Parliament member biography