{{Short description|Australian politician (1948–2025)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=February 2015}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Warren Pitt | honorific_suffix = AM | image = | caption = | office = Minister for Main Roads | term_start = 13 September 2007 | term_end = 25 March 2009 | premier = Anna Bligh | predecessor = Paul Lucas | successor = Craig Wallace | office1 = Minister for Local Government | term_start1 = 13 September 2007 | term_end1 = 25 March 2009 | premier1 = Anna Bligh | predecessor1 = Andrew Fraser | successor1 = Desley Boyle | office4 = Minister for Communities and Disability Services | term_start4 = 12 February 2004 | term_end4 = 13 September 2007 | premier4 = Peter Beattie | predecessor4 = Position Created | successor4 = Lindy Nelson-Carr | office6 = Minister for Business, Industry and Regional Development | term_start6 = 23 February 1995 | term_end6 = 31 July 1995 | premier6 = Wayne Goss | predecessor6 = Jim Elder | successor6 = Ken Hayward | office7 = Queensland Government Chief Whip | term_start7 = 1 October 1992 | term_end7 = 22 February 1995 | premier7 = Wayne Goss | predecessor7 = Bill Prest | successor7 = Don Livingstone | constituency_AM8 = Mulgrave | assembly8 = Queensland Legislative | term_start8 = 5 December 1998 | term_end8 = 20 March 2009 | predecessor8 = Charles Rappolt | successor8 = Curtis Pitt | term_start9 = 2 December 1989 | term_end9 = 15 July 1995 | predecessor9 = Max Menzel | successor9 = Naomi Wilson | birth_date = {{birth date|1948|3|14|df=y}} | birth_place = Cairns, Queensland, Australia | death_date = {{death date and age|2025|2|7|1948|3|14|df=y}} | death_place = Gordonvale, Queensland, Australia | resting_place = | birth_name = Warren Pitt | party = Labor | other_party = | spouse = Linda Pitt | children = 2, including Curtis | alma_mater = | occupation = Teacher }}
'''Warren Pitt''' (14 March 1948 – 7 February 2025) was an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 1989 to 1995 and 1998 to 2009.<ref name=qp>{{cite web|title=Former Members|publisher=Parliament of Queensland|year=2015| url=http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/members/former/bio?id=4076904341|accessdate= 11 February 2015}}</ref>
==Background== Born in Cairns, Pitt was a school teacher before entering politics. He underwent national service and was an army reservist from 1969 to 1975 and was active in the local community, being recognised as Mulgrave Shire Citizen of the Year in 1983.
Pitt died on 7 February 2025, at the age of 76.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-02-07 |title=Former Queensland Labor MP Warren Pitt dies |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-07/warren-pitt-mulgrave-former-labor-mp-dies/104909946 |access-date=2025-02-07 |work=ABC News |language=en-AU}}</ref>
==Political career== Pitt was elected to state parliament as the member for Mulgrave at the 1989 state election<ref name=qp/> defeating sitting National Party MP Max Menzel. Pitt was himself defeated two terms later at the 1995 state election by the Nationals' Naomi Wilson. Pitt sought a rematch at the 1998 state election, but leakage of Coalition preferences allowed Charles Rappolt of One Nation to defeat Pitt.
Rappolt resigned only four months into his term, and Pitt narrowly defeated Wilson in the resulting by-election,<ref name=qp/> providing Labor Premier Peter Beattie with a majority in his own right (previously Beattie's government had to rely on the support of independent MP Peter Wellington).
Fortuitously, Pitt served all his time in parliament as a member of the majority party. Consequently, he served in a number of government roles. In the government of Wayne Goss, Pitt served as Deputy Government Whip from March to October 1992, Government Whip from October 1992 to February 1995, and Minister for Business, Industry and Regional Development from February to July 1995.<ref name=qp/>
In the government of Peter Beattie, Pitt served as Chair of the Scrutiny of Legislation Committee from May 2001 to January 2004 until he became Minister for Communities and Disability Services in February 2004. He retained the portfolio for years to come, and to his responsibilities were added: Seniors in April 2004, Youth in September 2006, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships in January 2007. That gave Pitt the unusually long title of "Minister for Communities, Disability Services, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Seniors and Youth", which he retained until Beattie's retirement in September 2007.<ref name=qp/>
In the government of Anna Bligh, Pitt served as Minister for Main Roads and Local Government from September 2007 until his retirement in February 2009.<ref name=qp/>
Upon his retirement, Pitt's son Curtis was preselected as the Labor candidate in the district of Mulgrave. Curtis Pitt successfully retained the seat for the Labor Party at the 2009 state election, holding the seat until his retirement from politics in 2024.
==References== {{reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Judy Spence}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Disability Services and Seniors|years=2004{{ndash}}2007}} {{s-aft|rows=2|after=Lindy Nelson-Carr}} {{s-new|portfolio}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Communities|years=2004{{ndash}}2007}} {{s-bef|before=Jim Elder}} {{s-ttl|title=Minister for Business, Industry and Regional Development|years=1995}} {{s-aft|after=Ken Hayward}} {{s-par|au-qld}} {{s-bef|before=Max Menzel}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Mulgrave|years=1989{{ndash}}1998}} {{s-aft|after=Naomi Wilson}} {{s-bef|before=Charles Rappolt}} {{s-ttl|title=Member for Mulgrave|years=2001{{ndash}}2009}} {{s-aft|after=Curtis Pitt}} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt, Warren}} Category:1948 births Category:2025 deaths Category:Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Category:Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland Category:Members of the Order of Australia Category:21st-century Australian politicians