Peter Baldwin (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Peter Jeremy Baldwin is a former Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party
member of the Australian House of Representatives
from 1983 to 1998.
Baldwin was born in Aldershot
, Hampshire. His family moved to Australia in 1958. He attended Normanhurst Boys' High School in Sydney, later receiving a BEE
from the University of Sydney
, and a BA from Macquarie University
.
Baldwin was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
from 1975 to 1982. In the 1970s he was prominent as a left-wing activist in the Australian Labor Party (ALP), seeking to break the grip over the corrupt right-wing machine that controlled many Labor subdivisions in and near central Sydney. As part of his campaign he uncovered substantial and illegal doctoring of the party's account books in the Enmore
branch of the ALP.
On 16 July 1980, he was brutally assaulted at his home in the nearby Sydney suburb of Marrickville
. Pictures of his battered face dominated the front pages of newspapers around the nation, and led to increased pressure for reform of the party. No one was ever charged with the assault. Subsequently it was alleged that the bashing was undertaken by underworld figure Tom Domican acting on suggestions from the Labor state secretary at the time, Graham Richardson
. In March 2007 Richardson won a settlement against Fairfax of AUD $50,000 for defamation on the basis of this report.
After leaving state politics, Baldwin held the seat of Sydney
in the Federal Parliament from 1983 to 1998. He served as Minister for Employment and Education Services in April 1990, Minister for Higher Education and Employment Services from May 1990 to March 1993, and Minister for Social Security
from March 1993 to the defeat of the Keating
government in March 1996.
, a web-based collaborative argument visualisation tool for mapping complex public policy debates, used by the White House
, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
, and the Amanpour
series on CNN
.
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
from 1983 to 1998.
Baldwin was born in Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, Hampshire. His family moved to Australia in 1958. He attended Normanhurst Boys' High School in Sydney, later receiving a BEE
Bachelor of Engineering
The Bachelor of Engineering is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at universities in Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland , Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan, Korea,...
from the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, and a BA from Macquarie University
Macquarie University
Macquarie University is an Australian public teaching and research university located in Sydney, with its main campus situated in Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of Sydney...
.
Baldwin was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
from 1975 to 1982. In the 1970s he was prominent as a left-wing activist in the Australian Labor Party (ALP), seeking to break the grip over the corrupt right-wing machine that controlled many Labor subdivisions in and near central Sydney. As part of his campaign he uncovered substantial and illegal doctoring of the party's account books in the Enmore
Enmore, New South Wales
Enmore is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Enmore is located 5 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of Marrickville Council.-History:...
branch of the ALP.
On 16 July 1980, he was brutally assaulted at his home in the nearby Sydney suburb of Marrickville
Marrickville, New South Wales
Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney's Inner West is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest suburb in the Marrickville Council local government area...
. Pictures of his battered face dominated the front pages of newspapers around the nation, and led to increased pressure for reform of the party. No one was ever charged with the assault. Subsequently it was alleged that the bashing was undertaken by underworld figure Tom Domican acting on suggestions from the Labor state secretary at the time, Graham Richardson
Graham Richardson
Graham Frederick Richardson , a former Australian politician, was a Senator for New South Wales from 1983–94 for the Australian Labor Party, a senior minister in Hawke and Keating governments, and is now a political lobbyist, public speaker, and media commentator. During his time in politics,...
. In March 2007 Richardson won a settlement against Fairfax of AUD $50,000 for defamation on the basis of this report.
After leaving state politics, Baldwin held the seat of Sydney
Division of Sydney
The Division of Sydney is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of New South Wales. It is located around the central city area of Sydney, and includes many inner suburbs such as Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Ultimo, Redfern, Camperdown, Glebe, Annandale, Balmain, Potts Point and the Sydney...
in the Federal Parliament from 1983 to 1998. He served as Minister for Employment and Education Services in April 1990, Minister for Higher Education and Employment Services from May 1990 to March 1993, and Minister for Social Security
Minister for Human Services (Australia)
The position of Minister for Human Services within Australian politics is currently held by the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP. The Minister is responsible for a number of welfare agencies and administers her portfolio through the Department of Human Services and its component bodies:* Child Support...
from March 1993 to the defeat of the Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
government in March 1996.
Later career
After leaving politics, Baldwin developed and co-founded DebategraphDebategraph
Debategraph is a web-based, collaborative idea visualization tool, focusing on complex public policy issues.It has been used by the White House, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office,, the Amanpour series on CNN, and The Independent newspaper and was named as one of the Best Websites for Teaching...
, a web-based collaborative argument visualisation tool for mapping complex public policy debates, used by the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
, and the Amanpour
Amanpour
Amanpour was a news program hosted by Christiane Amanpour. It last aired on April 30, 2010 as Ms Amanpour resigned her position as CNN's chief international correspondent to work for rival network ABC's This Week. The show featured interviews with top news makers on current events...
series on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
.