Collins was born in Bowness-on-Windermere in England, and he attended Tiffin Boys Grammar School in Kingston.
He worked as a dry cleaning salesman, labourer, and in a plastics factory prior to migrating to Australia, and was involved in the first wave of the Ban the Bomb marches.
A somewhat outspoken MP, he was a staunch opponent of massage parlors and had a strong interest in consumer affairs issues.
He crossed the floor to vote with the National Party and Labor opposition in 1978 over a lack of parliamentary time set aside for discussing social welfare legislation.
He only held Noble Park by a 1% margin going into the election, and Labor had recruited Cop Shop actor Terry Norris (who left the successful TV series to enter politics) as their candidate for the seat.