Ken O'Dowd


Kenneth Desmond O'Dowd is an Australian politician who has been a member of the House of Representatives since the 2010 federal election, representing the Division of Flynn. He is a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, and sits with the Nationals in federal parliament.

Background

O'Dowd was born in Gladstone, Queensland. He grew up on his parent's farm in Bracewell, Mount Larcom. O'Dowd was educated at Bracewell State School, Mount Larcom High School and Rockhampton Grammar School. While still at school O'Dowd worked on his parent's farm, neighbours' farms, as a contract milker, on the railways as a fettler, on flying gangs, and on the construction of railway lines.
O'Dowd has two children and four grandchildren.

Career

O'Dowd became a payroll clerk at Queensland Aluminium Limited Gladstone. From 1970 to 1978 he worked on the construction of the Bougainville Copper Mine in New Guinea. In 1978 he worked at the Gladstone seaport terminal within the fuel industry, until establishing his own Mobil fuel distributorship in Emerald in 1981, which he sold in 1988. He became partner of a Shell distributorship in 1988, which was sold ten years later. In 1998 O'Dowd bought and renovated a Rockhampton pub, renaming it O'Dowd's Irish Pub, which he sold in 2004. From 1998 onwards he operated Busteed Building Supplies.

Political career

O'Dowd contested the Division of Flynn for the Liberal National Party at the 2010 Federal election and won the seat from Labor's one term incumbent Chris Trevor. He continued to hold the seat in the 2013, 2016 and 2019 federal elections.
O'Dowd supports building HELE coal fired power stations, inland rail, and opening up more agricultural land.