Peter Coleman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Coleman in June 2012 | |
| 30thLeader of the Opposition of New South Wales Elections:1978 | |
| In office 16 December 1977 – 7 October 1978 | |
| Premier | Neville Wran |
| Deputy | John Mason |
| Preceded by | Sir Eric Willis |
| Succeeded by | John Mason |
| Member of theNew South Wales Parliament forFuller | |
| In office 24 February 1968 – 12 September 1978 | |
| Preceded by | New district |
| Succeeded by | Rodney Cavalier |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forWentworth | |
| In office 11 April 1981 – 5 June 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Ellicott |
| Succeeded by | John Hewson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Peter Coleman (1928-12-15)15 December 1928 Caulfield, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 31 March 2019(2019-03-31) (aged 90) Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Verna Susannah Coleman (née Scott) |
| Children | Tanya Costello Ursula Dubosarsky William Coleman |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney London School of Economics |
| Occupation | Writer, journalist |
| This article is part ofa series on |
| Conservatism in Australia |
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Principles |
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William Peter ColemanAO (15 December 1928 – 31 March 2019)[1] was an Australian writer and politician. A widely published journalist for over 60 years, he was editor ofThe Bulletin (1964–1967) and ofQuadrant for 20 years, and published 16 books on political, biographical and cultural subjects.[2] While still working as an editor and journalist he had a short but distinguished political career as a Member of theNew South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1968–1978 for theLiberal Party, serving both as a Minister in the State Cabinet and in the final year asLeader of the New South Wales Opposition.[3] From 1981–1987 he was the member forWentworth in theAustralian House of Representatives.[4]
Coleman was born in Melbourne, the son of Stanley Charles Coleman, an advertising agent, and Norma Victoria Tiernan. Moving to Sydney, he was educated atNorth Sydney Boys High School and at theUniversity of Sydney under philosophersJohn Anderson andJohn Passmore.[5] Fellow students included the philosophersDavid Armstrong andDavid Stove. Coleman then travelled to the United Kingdom to study political philosophy at theLondon School of Economics underMichael Oakeshott, completing a thesis on the French philosopherGeorges Sorel.[6] He graduated as Master of Science (Economics) in 1952. On 5 April 1952 he married the writer and librarian,Verna Scott. Together they had two daughters, Tanya, who became a lawyer and later wife of Deputy Liberal LeaderPeter Costello,Ursula, a children's writer, and a son William, who is an economist.[7]
After teaching English for a year in theSudan, Coleman returned to Australia to undertake a career as a journalist. In 1958 he became associate editor ofThe Observer, a fortnightly magazine founded in 1958 and published byAustralian Consolidated Press. Other staff members included the editorDonald Horne and financial editorMichael Baume. In 1961 it was absorbed by the legendary but ailing political and literary magazineThe Bulletin and Coleman subsequently became editor ofThe Bulletin between 1964 and 1967.[8] In these years he published his first booksAustralian Civilization, a symposium which brought together writers and critics ranging fromManning Clark andMax Harris toJames McAuley andVincent Buckley;Obscenity Blasphemy Sedition, a study of the first 100 years ofcensorship in Australia; the anthologyThe Bulletin Book; andCartoons of Australian History, with cartoonistLes Tanner. When Coleman resigned fromThe Bulletin in 1967 he became editor ofQuadrant magazine, a position he held for twenty years.[4]
In 1968 Coleman was elected theLiberal member forFuller, a marginal seat taking inNorth Ryde,Gladesville andHunters Hill, in theNew South WalesLegislative Assembly, defeating the Labor MemberFrank Downing.[9] Originally serving on the backbench, Coleman gained experience through his appointment as a member of the Australian Council for the Arts from 1968 to 1973, a councillor of theNational Institute of Dramatic Art from 1970 to 1985, and as Chairman of the Interim Council of theNational Film & Television School from 1971 to 1973.[3] In 1974, Coleman became the Chairman of the Select Committee into Appointment of Judges to the High Court, which examined different judicial appointment methods prior to the1977 Federal Referendum.[10]
Coleman was then further promoted in June 1975 as the Parliamentary Secretary to the PremierTom Lewis, in which capacity he served only five months until his promotion to Cabinet.[4] He was made a Minister of the Crown in October 1975 as theAssistant Treasurer and Minister for Revenue. WhenSir Eric Willis became Premier, Coleman was appointed to the revived office of Chief Secretary from January 1976. He served in Cabinet until the defeat of the Willis government in theMay 1976 election, at which he retained his seat on a slightly increased margin of 52%.[9]
In opposition under Eric Willis, Coleman served as the Shadow Minister for Justice and Services.[11]On 15 December 1977 four party MPs declared that they would oppose Willis in a leadership ballot the next day. On 16 December 1977, Willis resigned and Coleman was elected as the leader by the party.[12] At the1978 election, Coleman and the Coalition campaigned on a platform based around the spectre of "Whitlamism" and attempted to undermine the strong central leadership of Wran.[13] This failed to resonate with voters, and the election, which was later termed the "Wranslide", saw a massive defeat for the Opposition Coalition. Coleman himself lost his seat of Fuller toHunter's Hill Municipal Council Alderman,Rodney Cavalier, a result that had been anticipated by some.[14][15]
In September 1979, Coleman was appointed asAdministrator ofNorfolk Island. Following the resignation ofRobert Ellicott, he gained Liberal Party pre-selection for thefederal seat ofWentworth and was elected in a by-election in April 1981. He retired from parliament before the1987 election[4] and resumed his literary career.
On leaving politics, Coleman resumed his career as a full-time writer, publishing widely both journalism and books, including a major history of the intellectuals and the Cold War,The Liberal Conspiracy. TheCongress for Cultural Freedom and the Struggle for the Mind of Postwar Europe[16] and biographical works on the Australian poetJames McAuley, comic artistBarry Humphries, film directorBruce Beresford and economistHeinz Arndt. He also published a selection of poetry, a cookbook and a collection of hisQuadrant essays,The Last Intellectuals. In 2008 Coleman assisted his son-in-law,Peter Costello, in writing and editing his account of his career:The Costello Memoirs: The Age of Prosperity.
During this period he also recorded interviews, held by theNational Library of Australia as part of the oral history project, with leading Australian figures in journalism, arts, law, economics, philosophy and politics, includingHugh Atkinson,Garfield Barwick,Bruce Beresford,Jim Carlton, Madge Eddy,Charles Higham,Kenneth Jacobs,Eugene Kamenka,Michael Kirby,Kenneth Minogue, Barry Oakley,Desmond O'Grady,Clyde Packer,John Passmore,Peter Porter,Adrian Rawlins andAmy Witting.[17] He was a regular contributor to the Australian edition ofThe Spectator with a weekly column entitled 'Australian Notes'[18] and also contributed toThe Australian andABC programs. Coleman died on 31 March 2019.[19]
In 2001 Coleman was awarded the Centenary Medal.[20] In 2008 he was admitted to the degree ofDoctor of Letters (honoris causa) at theUniversity of Sydney for services to Australian intellectual life.[21] On 8 June 2015 he was made anOfficer of the Order of Australia (AO) "for distinguished service to the print media industry as a noted editor, journalist, biographer and author, to the Parliaments of Australia and New South Wales, and to the community".[22]
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| New South Wales Legislative Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| New district | Member for Fuller 1968 – 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Assistant Treasurer 1975 – 1976 | Succeeded by |
| Minister for Revenue 1975 – 1976 | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Ian Griffith | Chief Secretary 1976 | Vacant Title next held by Garry West |
| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition of New South Wales 1977 – 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party 1977 – 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Administrator of Norfolk Island 1979 – 1981 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by | Member for Wentworth 1981 – 1987 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
