Ben Humphreys

Benjamin Charles Humphreys (17 August 1934 – 17 November 2019) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served in the House of Representatives from 1977 to 1996, representing the Division of Griffith in Queensland. He was Minister for Veterans' Affairs in the Hawke and Keating Governments from 1987 to 1993.

Early life Humphreys was born in Brisbane and worked as a mechanic before entering politics.

Politics Humphreys was elected to federal parliament at the 1977 federal election.

Humphreys would perhaps have retired from Parliament in 1995 after Kevin Rudd's preselection in Griffith but decided against it as that would have meant an unwanted by-election not long after the ALP's loss of the seat of Canberra in a by-election earlier that year.

Later life Humphreys was known for his close contact with Australia's South Pacific neighbours, and in August 2001 he was part of a Commonwealth Observer Group sent to oversee the 2001 election in Fiji. He served on the board of the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame.

Honours 26 January 2000: Member of the Order of Australia for service to the Federal Parliament, particularly in the area of veterans' affairs. 1 January 2001: Centenary Medal for distinguished service to the Commonwealth Parliament and politics