He was born in Townsville to Kenneth Murdock McLean and Edna May, née Blee.
He attended Bulimba State School and then Brisbane Technical College, where he took an apprenticeship as a carpenter.
[1] McLean was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly in 1980 as the Labor member for Bulimba.
In 1981 he became Opposition Spokesman on Employment and Industrial Affairs, adding Maritime Services, Harbours and Marine Activities for most of 1983.
McLean died from an asbestos-related lung condition in 1999 at the age of 60, and was given a State funeral.