Steve is the Queensland State Labor Member for Barron River and was first elected to Parliament in 2006. He was re-elected in 2009 and appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism.
In that role, Steve is working with the Minister for Tourism, Tourism Queensland, and regional and local tourism organisations and businesses to support the tourism industry through the difficult economic circumstances currently being experienced in the wake of the global financial crisis and to help the industry re-position itself to take full advantage of conditions as they improve.

He is also currently a member of the Parliamentary Crime & Misconduct Committee.

In his first term in the Parliament, Steve was a member of the panel of Temporary Speakers.

He was also a member of the Legal, Constitutional and Administrative Review Committee and the Investigation into Altruistic Surrogacy Select Committee. The work of each committee has informed significant law reform initiatives undertaken by the Queensland Government.

He served as a Regional Queensland Councillor reporting to the Minister for Communities on issues of concern to the far northern region. In that role he also chaired the FNQ Ministerial Regional Community Forums and was, and remains, an ex-officio member of the Far North Queensland Regional Disability Council, a ministerial advisory body.

Prior to entering Parliament, Steve was a solicitor in his own legal firm in Cairns.

Steve is a founding and honorary life member of the Cairns Community Legal Centre where he served on the management committee for several years including three as president. During this time the service expanded to include specialist disability discrimination and consumer rights services and supported the establishment in Cairns of the Environmental Defender's Office of NQ and the NQ Women's Legal Service.

Steve takes a very strong and active interest in environment and conservation issues. He has served two terms as President of the Cairns & Far North Environment Centre (CAFNEC).

He is a keen (but time deprived) bushwalker, camper, fisher, bird watcher and gardener.

Steve enjoys all the performing and visual arts but especially music. He also plays the violin and from time to time can be heard making music with local artists. He has performed at the Yungaburra Folk Festival, Kuranda Amphitheatre and at various venues in Cairns.

Steve is married with two teenage children.