David Byrne (Australian politician)

David Edward Byrne is an Australian activist and politician. A former Augustinian monk and Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, he later moved to Cape York, became an advocate for Aboriginal land rights and cofounded the Cape York Land Council with Noel Pearson.

Byrne was born in Sydney and was educated at St Martins Catholic Primary School and Villanova College in Brisbane. He initially entered the Augustinian seminary and became a monk for five years, but later studied teaching at the University of Queensland. A member of the state executive of the Young Liberals, he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly at the 1974 state election amidst the NationalLiberal landslide of that year. At 22, he was at that time the states youngest ever MLA, and he graduated from university during his term.

Source: Wikipedia