Dennis Young

Who is Dennis Young?

Dennis Charles Young is an Australian politician and anti-drug campaigner. He was a Liberal Party of Australia member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1974 to 1977, representing the electorate of Baroona. He has been the national executive director of Christian anti-drug organisation Drug Arm since 1988.

Young was born in Brisbane, and was educated at Kelvin Grove State School and Kelvin Grove State High School. He was a police officer before entering politics; he also worked for the Juvenile Aid Bureau for eight years. An active member of the Liberal Party, he served as chairman of his local branch from 1973 to 1975 and was a member of the party's state executive from 1974 to 1975.

Young was elected to the Legislative Assembly at the 1974 election, winning the formerly safe Labor seat of Baroona amidst the landslide Liberal-National victory that year. The seat had been vacated by retiring former Shadow Treasurer Pat Hanlon. Baroona was merged with the adjacent Brisbane electorate to form the Brisbane Central electorate at the 1977 election, and Brisbane MLA Harold Lowes retired after one term, allowing Young to contest the new seat; however, he was defeated by Labor candidate and former Brisbane MLA Brian Davis.