Born in London, he migrated to Australia in 1962 as a merchant seaman and worked in a variety of occupations, including a railway worker, cook, paper mill operator, insurance salesman and a position with the Victorian Corrective Services.
As a member of the Australian Democrats, Hollis contested the 1983 and 1984 federal elections.
He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland in 1989 as the Labor member for Redcliffe.
He held the position until 21 July 2005, when he resigned his seat, triggering a by-election.
This article about an Australian Labor Party member of the Parliament of Queensland is a stub.