“I’ve always been the inferior brother, always,” he says, matter-of-factly about his second eldest sibling Cameron, Queensland’s Deputy Premier and Treasurer.

“From day dot you could always see he was the leader, he’s five years older and, well, he was destined to be the politician while I’m an accidental one,” says the 52-year-old Federal Member for Oxley and 32nd Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives.

“As a little kid I was always looking up to Cameron,” says Milton.

“Of course, he has to look up to me now, due to the height difference, but he had the smarts, he was winning the prizes, I was more middle of the pack.”

Accidental politician and middle of the park, perhaps, but striding into the expansive dining room of The Lion Richlands – home of the mighty Lions football club – on a busy Wednesday afternoon, Milton is somewhat of a celebrity.

At 198cm tall – or 6ft 5in – and immaculately groomed, he stands out also as the only person in the place in a suit, a sleek navy blue two piece. His smile is big, handshake firm.

But Milton, raised in a “garden variety southside war service home”, doesn’t have tickets on himself.

If anything, he’s often wondering if he’s good enough.

He describes his appointment as speaker two years ago as “equally terrifying and exciting”.

“I felt I wouldn’t know the rules, wouldn’t know the standing orders, and you don’t want people to go, ‘Why did they put that guy in? What a disaster’.

“I thought, ‘What if I fail at this job and they’re lumped with me for the term of the Parliament?’.”

It’s certainly not an easy gig.

“You’ve got to treat the Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton with respect as much as the Prime Minister and sometimes either side may not like something, or ever say it, but I can tell.

“I felt the best I felt just the last sitting (of Parliament) where I could see the members of the government and the opposition were both unhappy with me at the same time, so I took that as a universal win,” he laughs.

Milton says he tries to hold himself “to a higher standard”.

“That’s why I chose to withdraw from the parliamentary party, not all speakers have done that, but I don’t participate in party affairs, I don’t go to conferences or rallies, and it wouldn’t be appropriate if I went to an anti-Peter Dutton rally and then expected him to respect me in Parliament – that’s ridiculous.”

Elected the Member for Oxley in 2016 after eight years as a Brisbane City councillor during the lord mayoralties of the LNP’s Campbell Newman and Graham Quirk, Milton Dick has friends on both sides of the political fence.

Fiercely loyal to former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk – whom he credits with launching his career when they were students at the University of Queensland – he is good mates with Christian Rowan, Queensland’s Shadow Minister for Education, from their Anglican Church Grammar School years, and close to Brisbane’s Lady Mayoress Nina Schrinner and former Lord Mayor Sallyanne Atkinson.

About that school.

Churchie is regarded as elite, the antithesis of the blue collar.

Its fees are among the highest in the state and alumni include judges (Paul de Jersey, former governor of Queensland) and captains of industry (Don Argus, former boss of BHP).

“Sometimes people in the Labor Party go, ‘don’t tell people you went to Churchie, or keep it on the downlow’,” Milton says, “but I never do because to me it was a symbol of just how hard Mum and Dad worked and how much they sacrificed and saved – it wasn’t a ‘nice to have’, it was essential for them.

“Mum did nursing at St Martin’s War Memorial Hospital (Ann Street) after she finished sixth form but Dad never finished high school and became a butcher so they were both so driven to give their kids the best; I wear that as a badge of pride.”

Tucking into a 250g sirloin – his Dad’s favourite cut because “it never gets dry” – Milton was determined to forge his own path after school.

While studying a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Queensland, he thought, ‘there is no way I am joining the Labor Party because enough of being Cameron Dick’s brother’.

But he says it was “probably a sense of wanting to see social justice and equality but no big light bulb moment” that saw him join the club and, in his third year, become its president.

“I found out that being a political activist was really about being around people, and I like people so I found a lot of kinship – and this is where Annastacia enters the scene.”

The woman who would become one of Queensland’s longest serving premiers until her ousting in December 2023 was still a spring chicken herself.

“We met through Labor circles and she says, ‘you should come out to Inala and campaign’ (her father Henry Palaszczuk was newly minted as the state member for Inala).

“That was the 1993 federal election when Sallyanne Atkinson ran against David Beddall for (the seat of) Rankin,” he explains.

“David defeated Sallyanne and became a minister in the Keating Government and I went back to my degree.”

The 20-year-old Milton, who was tossing up between becoming a teacher or a police officer, obviously impressed and was soon asked back to David Beddall’s office and offered a full-time job.

“I wasn’t expecting it and I was like, ‘Oh, could I ring my Mum and Dad and ask them?’” he laughs.

Allan and Joan Dick would remain profound influences, including after their respective deaths in 2015 and 2019.

Milton, who lives in Durack and has never married or had children, proudly wears his father’s gold signet ring on his wedding finger.

“I’m lucky that I have so many people in my life, my mother used to say I collect people along the way, and I do worry about all the contacts in my phone if something happened to me and I wasn’t here, I want to leave them to someone so they’re in safe keeping.”

Milton describes his parents as “aspirational people”.

“Our mother was very stylish and tall and so was Dad, he had beautiful shoes and hats and cufflinks.

“Politics was never discussed, but they gave us good advice – work hard and don’t make a name for yourself.”

A political career, then, was completely unexpected.

Milton recalls asking his father back in 2007 if he should run for Brisbane City Council.

“This was before Cameron ran (for state), and Dad said, ‘no you’re mad, all politicians are in it for themselves, blah, blah, blah,’ and I said, ‘have you got any advice?’ and I was hanging on every word and he said, ‘every customer counts – the lady who comes in and buys chuck steak is just as important as the lady who buys rib eye’.

“He’s not wrong – with the 130,000 customers I represent (as Member for Oxley) I’ve never forgotten it.”

So how does Milton rate Labor’s chances at the October election?

“I wouldn’t comment on the state arena only to say that it’s difficult to be in government a long time, you have to really prove yourself and earn respect … and I think if more politicians were a little more humble, sometimes, across the board, I think that’s what voters want.”

Annastacia Palaszczuk was often accused of being arrogant, especially towards the end of her time as premier, so I’m curious to hear Milton’s thoughts.

“Well, as a loyal friend, you’d expect me to say that was incredibly unfair … for me, she’s the same person who rang me up 31 years ago and wanted to help me.

“I’ve never seen anything other than kindness and genuineness, and I tell you something, if she walked in here now, the place would go berserk.”

Milton is also very close to his sister Susan Anglim.

“Susan is six years older, she’s the one with the real job in the family, she’s a schoolteacher (at Runcorn State School),” he says.

“Dad used to say, ‘I’ve got three kids, two can’t get jobs’.

“Susan is probably the most charismatic of the family, she has an amazing gift with kids – I’m probably proudest of her, don’t tell Cameron this – because I see the belief she has in the power of transformation through education.”

So will he tell his siblings about this interview before it’s published?

“Oh no,” Milton quickly answers.

“I like to keep some surprises.”

RATING

The Lion Richlands

133 Pine Rd, Richlands

250g sirloin: 9/10