James Edward Madden (born 12 April 1958) is an Australian politician. He was the Labor member for Ipswich West in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 2015 to 2024.
Early life and education Madden was born and raised in Ipswich. He is a fifth generation Ipswich West resident since his family came to Australia from Ireland in 1863. He attended St Mary's Primary School and went on to graduate from St Edmund's College. He studied horticulture and agriculture at UQ Gatton before working as an agronomist. He later studied law at QUT. In his maiden speech Madden stated that perhaps his proudest achievement was, along with his late mother, successfully reviving the tradition of the discontinued Anzac Day service at Woodend in 1999, which now attracts a crowd of 1,000 people.Andrew Korner, 'Inspirational life of a city trailblazer', Queensland Times, 23 January 2016 <https://www.qt.com.au/news/inspirational-life-of-a-city-trailblazer/2907372 Kieran Banks, 'Driver ruins war memorial', Queensland Times, 20 August 2012 <https://www.qt.com.au/news/our-war-history-in-pieces-driver-ruins-memorial/1510394 >
Career Before the 2015 election, Madden was a lawyer and councillor for Somerset Regional Council from 2012 to 2015.
Queensland state election results Jim Madden was the Labor candidate for Ipswich West in the 2015 Queensland state election. He ran against sitting Liberal National member Sean Choat. Madden won the district with 57.72 percent of the two-party-preferred vote and a positive swing of 14.87 percent.2015 State General Election - Ipswich West - District Summary , ECQ.
Madden was re-elected after the 2017 Queensland state election with 58.7 percent of the two-candidate-preferred vote.Queensland Election 2017. Electorate: Ipswich West. ABC.net.au
At the 2020 Queensland state election, Madden was re-elected with 50.1 percent of the first preference vote and 64.3 percent of the two-candidate-preferred vote.Ipswich West - QLD Election 2020 Electorate, Candidates, Results | QLD Votes. ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
Member for Ipswich West In October 2015, Liberal National member Ian Rickuss called some Labor MPs, including Madden, "drag queens". Madden responded that Rickuss was "out of touch" and that "jokes made at the expense of the LGBTI community are unacceptable now."
In December 2015, Madden stepped down from Parliament's ethics committee after taking responsibility for a suspected leak. Ethics committee members were prohibited from revealing information about their deliberations. He thought his comments to a Queensland Times journalist were "innocuous" but admitted he "should not have spoken to him at all." He said this mistake was due to his inexperience as a "relatively new member of Parliament and the ethics committee." He received no further punishment for his role in the leak.
In February 2016, Madden supported the proposed lockout laws since be believed they were proven effective elsewhere and would address alcohol-fuelled violence.
In March 2017, Madden supported the Criminal Law Amendment Bill which removed "unwanted sexual advancements" as a partial defence for defendants accused of murder. He described the previous law as a "gay panic defence" which was "archaic". He said the message of the legislation was that discrimination was "not acceptable and that we value the LBGTI community".
In October 2018, he voted in favour of a bill which made abortion available, on request, up to 22 weeks' gestation and introduced "safe access zones" of 150 metres around clinics.Horn, Allyson. Abortion legalised in Queensland after historic vote in Parliament. ABC News Australia. October 17, 2018. Madden supported an amendment lowering the gestation limit from 22 to 16 weeks.Caldwell, Felicity. Abortion will no longer be a crime in Queensland after historic vote. Brisbane Times. October 17, 2018.
On 18 April 2023, he announced his intention to retire from politics at the 2024 election. He resigned early on 27 January 2024 to stand for election to the Ipswich City Council.
Personal life Madden is a practicing Catholic.
See also Electoral results for the district of Ipswich West
References
External links
Jim Madden MP Parliament of Queensland profile