He holds an associate diploma in business management from East Sydney Technical College.
Prior to entering politics he was a senior manager in the plastics industry and later ran a hardware store.
He was chairman of the organising committee for the 1988 FINA World Masters Championships which Brisbane hosted.
[2] At the 1993 federal election, McDougall served as chair of the Liberal Party's campaign committee in Queensland.
[3] Rudd, who would later go on to become leader of the Australian Labor Party and eventually prime minister, successfully re-contested Griffith in the 1998 election.