He served in the Citizens Military Force and rose to the position of sergeant.
He was a stationmaster with New South Wales Government Railways and then served in the Queensland Police Force.
In 1998, Paff was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as a member of Pauline Hanson's One Nation, representing the seat of Ipswich West.
Paff continued as party whip for the new grouping, and was the spokesperson for Law (Attorney-General), Justice and the Arts, Communication and Information, Local Government and Planning, Regional and Rural Communities, State Development and Trade.
[1] In 2017, aged 79 years, Paff unsuccessfully contested the Ipswich mayoral by-election.