Colin Boyce

Biography

Colin Einar Boyce is an Australian politician who was born on 30 October 1962. He is a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Division of Flynn since 2022 and belongs to the Liberal National Party, sitting with the National Party in federal parliament. Boyce was previously the Liberal National Party member for Callide in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 2017 to 2022.

Before his political career, Boyce worked as a boilermaker and farmer. He served as a councillor on Taroom Shire Council from 2005 until 2008. In 2008, he attempted to be elected as the Division 6 candidate on Banana Shire Council but was unsuccessful. However, in 2017, his wife Terri Boyce was elected to represent the same division in a by-election.

Boyce made headlines in August 2020 when he crossed the floor and voted against his own party’s decision not to support a bill to appoint a special commissioner to oversee mine rehabilitation in Queensland. In January 2021, Boyce announced his bid to contest the federal Division of Flynn in the 2022 federal election, following Ken O’Dowd’s retirement, and subsequently won pre-selection.

Boyce resigned from his position as the state member for Callide in the Queensland Parliament on 29 March 2022, ahead of the official call for the federal election, to focus on his campaign for the federal seat of Flynn. His resignation triggered the 2022 Callide state by-election. During his campaign for the federal election, Boyce attracted media attention for his comments on the government’s plan to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Boyce won the election in May 2022, defeating Labor candidate Matt Burnett. Following his election, Boyce faced criticism from Queensland resources minister Scott Stewart, who claimed that Boyce was a climate change denier and a foundation member of The Saltbush Club, which had previously claimed that there was no climate emergency. An article in The Guardian confirmed Boyce’s association with the club and signatory to the statement.