Peter Lawlor
Encyclopedia
Peter Lawlor is the Queensland Minister for Tourism and Fair Trading and the Australian Labor Party
Member for Southport
in the Queensland State Parliament. He previously served as a councillor on the Gold Coast City Council.
.
At the time Gold Coast City Council had nine Aldermen and a Mayor. Areas to the north and west of the Gold Coast
came under the separate Shire of Albert
until the amalgamation of the Council and Shire in 1995.
In March 1988 Peter Lawlor was elected as Division 3 Alderman. At the same election new Mayor Alderman Lex Bell
ousted former Mayor Denis Pie. Lex Bell would go on to be elected as the independent Member for Surfers Paradise at a by-election in 2001 soon after Lawlor's own election to Parliament.
Lawlor and Bell were both re-elected in the March 1991 election for a second term. At this election the previously all male Aldermen were joined by three new women Adlermen
As Alderman for the Southport area Lawlor campaigned for the preservation of The Spit as "one of the few undeveloped areas on the Gold Coast". Lawlor blamed the previous Waterways Authority and previous State Government for approving resorts that the Council did not want to go ahead, neither had required Council approval. Vacant land to the south of the Sea World
car park was zoned as special purposes under the draft development control plan and could have been developed with a low rise resort or international hotel. Chairman of the Finance Committee of Gold Coast City Council was concerned about valid compensation claims against the Council from developers if previous approvals were revoked now that they came under Council control.
Lawlor, Bell and Gary Baildon were the only three Aldermen to vote against the amalgamation of Gold Coast City and Albert Shire.
In 1996 after Bell and Lawlor had been ousted by the new Ray Stevens
administration, Stevens proposed a relocation of the Gold Coast Indy Grand Prix from Surfers Paradise to Southport. Lawlor teamed up with the new Premier Rob Borbidge together with local National Party MP and racing driver Allan Grice
to oppose the proposed relocation. As the former Planning Committee Chairman Lawlor said that the previous council had decreed that no further commercial development or reclamation of the Broadwater would take place. Mayor Stevens responded that the policy direction of the previous council was irrelevant. Borgidge indicated that the State Government would never support the proposal to reclaim any part of the Broadwater.
The Gold Coast at this time had not yet established one CBD district. As the Council Planning and Development Committee Chairman Alderman Lawlor lead a plan for Southport to become a future CBD heartland of the Gold Coast which would be supported by regional district and local centres appropriately located throughout the urban area. At the time 159ha of the 317ha of zoned commercial land in Southport was vacant. Council lobbied for the creation of a State Government precinct in Southport.
Another victory claimed by Lawlor on behalf of the Council was the 1992 prevention of commercial development proposals for Crown land on South Stradbroke Island
, including a golf course by Christopher Skase
. Several hundreds of hectares of land were rezoned for environmental use after a five year Council battle. The vacant Crown land on the island was declared an environmental park under joint trusteeship of the council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Meanwhile in 1991 Council acquired 4ha of privately owned land near the southern-most tip of the island and had it rezoned to public open space.
In 1993 Council tightened the town plan to outlaw prostitution in residential areas. At the time prostitution with two or more operators were banned by state law but single operators were not covered, until then Council had gained prosecutions against prostitution by deeming it a business activity in a residential area. The new town plan specifically defined and excluded prostitution from being a home occupation from residential areas.
. It is named for the largest suburb within the electorate of Southport
, and also includes the suburbs of Arundel
, Ernest, Labrador
, Molendinar
and Parkwood
. It was re-created for the 1977 election
after having been a previous electoral district throughout the 1950s. The suburb of Southport was names so because it was the southernmost port of the colony of Queensland.
Peter Lawlor has been the Labor endorsed candidate for the Southport Electoral District at every State election since 1992. He marginally lost the 1992, 1995 and 1998 elections against the long term incumbent National Party
Member Mick Veivers
. Veivers was Minister for Emergency Services and Sport in the Borbidge Government
and had been a Rugby League international before being elected to the seat in 1987. Lawlor finally succeeded in gaining the seat from Veivers on behalf of the Labor Party in 2001 with over 60% of the two party preferred vote and maintained that high margin until a swing against him in the 2009 election brought his share of the vote down to 53.48%.
. Sitting National Party Member Mick Veivers had a 5% margin, the Liberal Party
also ran candidate Tim Baker who had previously been a teacher at The Southport School
. Veivers' margin was reduced to 2.3% with Lawlor attracting 45% of the primary vote, the conservative opposition won six of the eight Gold Coast electoral districts.
In the lead up to the 1995 election Veivers argued that his small margin was only "on paper" as this campaign would not be a three-cornered contest involving both major conservative parties. Issues raised during the campaign included a government proposed Gold Coast tolled motorway with the Opposition promising an alternative 18 month upgrade to the highway. Additionally Lawlor raised issues of education, crime and health care, he also emphasised that having a local member in the ruling government was the way to capture public funds. During the campaign Veivers' campaign distributed leaflets in the Southport electorate saying that Labor and the Democrats
wanted to legalise homosexuals marrying, adopting children and holding mardi gras parades in Southport. Opposition Leader and Member for Surfers Paradise
expressed his concerns to Veivers about the leaflets. Mr Veivers said that he was not "poofter-bashing" but was speaking out against militant homosexuals who wanted to force their ideas on everyone. Lawlor said that these issues were not on the agenda, that it was dirty politics and that it misrepresented the facts and Labor policy, "it is absolute lies". Veivers increased his primary vote to 51.7%, the first time Southport had been won on primary votes, however he still only had a 4.81% two party preferred margin. The Gold Coast conservatives all retained their seats with large swings towards them.
The Goss Government was re-elected with a one seat majority however after a by-election
in North Queensland Rob Borbidge was able to form a minority government. Merri Rose
was the only Labor Party Member based on the Gold Coast and Premier Borbidge was a local himself. The election was unusual and difficult to predict because the One Nation Party had gained significant momentum locally and across the state. Labor focused the bulk of its Gold Coast campaign funds into Peter Lawlor's campaign for Southport. The Southport area was seen to be a traditional Labor area and local Member Mick Veivers was now a Minister.
The Borbidge Government retained all their seats on the Gold Coast in 1998 however they lost seats elsewhere and the one term government fell to the Labor Party. Peter Beattie
became the new Premier, sole Gold Coast MP Rose became the Tourism Minister. Between 1998 and the 2001 election the minority Beattie Government
held a knife edge majority in the Parliament relying on an independent.
Controversially Veivers entered into a local preference deal with the One Nation Party for a second time. One Nation had attracted 21.7% of the Southport vote at the 1998 election. Veivers recommended that Southport voters give the One Nation candidate their second preference ahead of both Lawlor and an independent candidate, this deal was in defiance of a ban on such preference deals by Opposition Leader Rob Borbidge. Days before the election Borbidge announced that Veivers would head a bid for the 2010 World Expo
which provided a last minute boost for the veteran MP.
Lawlor defeated Veivers on 17 February 2001 becoming the first non-conservative politician to be elected to the Electoral District. He was one of 66 Labor candidates
elected as part of a landslide swing towards the Government. On the Gold Coast Labor won seven of nine electorates, previously they had only had one Government Member.
Peter Lawlor's 2001 campaign office was run by his daughter Jane and his campaign manager was Terry Callaghan. He won all 14 electoral booths with 50.9% of the primary vote (11 245 votes) and 60.8% of the two party preferred vote. These results were a 14.1% primary vote swing toward Lawlor and a 13.9% two party preferred swing against the sitting Member Mick Veivers.
for not supporting the project. The Gold Coast Broadwater was named as "the greatest natural asset of Southport" which needed protection. Lawlor attacked the previous Borbidge government for approving a horizon tank
for film making that was to be constructed on public land at the Southport Spit.
In early 2002 Lawlor and Member for Broadwater Peta-Kaye Croft
started a campaign opposing a Gold Coast City Council document titled "Harbour Vision 2020", Lawlor estimated that a petition he started on the issue had attracted 1000 signatures in 10 days. The petitioners opposed commercial development on Wave Break Island, the western foreshore and any reclamation. Lawlor criticised on environmental and engineering grounds any possibility of a new bridge being built to Wave Break Island and a possible cruise ship facility on the island. As a former Councillor himself Lawlor criticised the Council on leadership saying that such an important document should not have been left to bureaucrats to write. "The monkeys are taking over the zoo" he said. In March 2002 Lawlor publicly supported a proposal to develop a cruise-ship terminal at the northern end of The Spit, the terminal plan was identified by Lawlor as being in the Seaway and not the Broadwater. Both the Gold Coast Bulletin and local Councillor Dawn Crichlow were critical of the perceived about-face. Later that year the State Government ruled out allowing any bridge across the Broadwater to Wave Break Island. The Mayor Gary Baildon attributed the decision to Peter Lawlor's election commitments and subsequent campaign against Harbour Visions 2020.
In the 2004 election he maintained his majority from 2001 against National Party challenger Bob Bennett, a former senior police officer and brother of Brisbane Broncos
coach Wayne Bennett. 2004 was to be the last time the One Nation Party contested the seat. Lawlor attracted 54.1% of the primary vote, an increase of 3.2% and maintained his two party preferred result of 60%. The Courier-Mail speculated that Lawlor was a front-runner for a Cabinet position immediately after the election but Margaret Keech
, the Member for Albert was promoted.
Bennett again challenged Lawlor for the Nationals in the 2006 election. The Government's popularity on the Gold Coast was effected in the lead up to the election by a proposed cruise ship terminal proposed for the Southport Spit. Premier Peter Beattie made two major Gold Coast election announcements in the first week of the campaign; cancelling the cruise ship terminal project on environmental grounds and increasing local hospital upgrade plans from 500 beds for $500 million to 750 beds for $1.23 billion. The local electoral results were very similar to 2004, Lawlor maintained 53.3% of the primary vote and 59.1% of the two party preferred vote giving him a 9.1% margin.
An electoral redistribution reduced Lawlor's majority down to 8% when the Southport electoral district was moved slightly southward. Lawlor was challenged in the 2009 election
by five other candidates
including local marketing and management consultant Tinia Wright for the newly merged Liberal National Party (LNP) opposition and also Brian Morris of the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland
Party. The Gold Coast Bulletin
criticised the LNP for not matching a Government promise of a $60 million stadium upgrade and a tourism package that promised equal funding to the Gold Coast and Mount Isa. The LNP used the stadium upgrade as a key election issue and emphasised a contrasting priority of transport and health on the Gold Coast. Two days from the election internal polling by The Australian
predicted a swing of 8-10% against Lawlor. Lawlor was re-elected with a reduced majority, he achieved 45.33% of the primary vote and 53.48% of the two party preferred vote.
Lawlor's first stouch in Parliament was with Opposition racing spokesman Howard Hobbs
over an an alleged forged document the opposition had tabled in parliament which was a draft letter from the Queensland Principal Club, Lawlor accused Hobbs of misleading the House by not checking the letter's authenticity. Soon after Lawlor named a Gold Coast man as the mastermind of an international scam purporting to supply humanitarian aid, promising investors returns of 10 to 40 per cent the scam duped Australians and New Zealanders of over $6 million.
In July 2002 Bob Quinn
had an unusual advocate in Lawlor, who made an impassioned speech in Parliament in support of the Liberal Leader, Lawlor told the Parliament of a plan by 'branch stackers' in the Liberal Party to drive Mr Quinn out of politics. Mr Lawlor said that he had known Quinn for over 40 years and he was an honest and conscientious person. Allegations were raised of ethnic branch stacking on the Gold Coast within the Liberal Party using the federal Division of Fadden
as an example where he alleged 50 Vietnamese had suddenly joined the Springwood business branch as pensioners or students, non of whom lived within the electoral division. The next week Peter Beattie followed suit and mocked the Liberal Leader in Parliament saying that he was his number one supporter.
In 2003 long term friend and fellow turf club icon Peter Gallagher (66) died after a six-month battle with cancer. Lawlor wept in State Parliament as Premier Beattie spoke about his achievements, Lawlor went on to give a long speech in honour of his close friend who he had known his whole life.
The Palm Island Select Committee was formed in April 2005 after a death in custody and riot on Palm Island
was a bipartisan committee Chaired by Peter Lawlor. The Committee recommended;
announced that Peter Lawlor would be one of eight Members to be promoted to the Cabinet as a Minister. Lawlor was sworn in by the Governor as the Minister for Tourism and Fair Trading on 26 March 2009. The ministerial portfolio of Tourism and Fair Trading holds responsibility for tourism, fair trading, charities, occupational licensing, art unions, Golden Casket, casinos, machine gaming, liquor licensing and racing.
Lawlor is one of 18 Ministers of the Queensland Cabinet, regardless of their own opinions all Ministers must take collective responsibility for, and publicly support decisions made by Cabinet. As a member of the Ministry, Lawlor is a member of Executive Council. Executive Council is the formal means by which the Governor is given advice by Ministers under the Westminster system. As a member of the Queensland Executive Council Lawlor is ranked 31 on the Australian order of precedence. Members of the Executive Council are fifth on the Queensland State Order of Precedence after the Governor, Premier, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of Queensland.
In a high profile interview for The Courier-Mail, new Opposition Leader and Member for Surfers Paradise John-Paul Langbroek
used Lawlor as an example of how he did not have enmity with anyone, even his political opponents, by stating "for instance, I like Peter Lawlor... he is a true believer in the Labor ideals, so I admire him for that."
In becoming the new Tourism Minister Lawlor told the Cairns Post that tourism was the lifeblood of both Cairns and the Gold Coast and that he would fly to Cairns and meet with stakeholders as soon as possible to learn more about issues in the far north. Lawlor became Tourism Minister at the height of the Global Economic Crisis
Body corporate fees structures were challenged in March 2010 by Lawlor in new legislation which prevents penthouse owners from spreading their higher body corporate fees onto smaller unit owners. Lawlor described the previous practice as a loophole being taken advantage of, an example was used of The Pinnacle building on Surfers Paradise where a penthouse window was allegedly shot out in 2009 over a body corporate feud over a bid to have the fees of $3million penthouses halved while doubling the fees for smaller, lower-floor units.
A Liquor Licensing staff member anonymously leaked to the Brisbanetimes.com.au in February 2010 that 500 public servant staff from the Office of Liquor Licensing would shift to Ipswich by 2012 under the State Government's decentralisation policy. Lawlor rejected suggestions that there would be a move of 500 public servants by May 2010 and said that it was early stages of consultation and each employee's situation would be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
in Ashgrove, Brisbane. After graduation Lawlor worked for the Commonwealth Bank and studied economics at the University of Queensland but did not complete the degree.
In the 1970s Lawlor worked as a clerk for Gold Coast City Council and then travelled to Port Moresby as a customs clerk. After a period working for a small engineering firm in Brisbane he married and moved to work as an accountant in a food franchising company in Durban
, South Africa where his first child was born. Lawlor and his family then moved to Brisbane where he worked as an accountant in an insurance company. Through the late 70s he studied law through the Solicitors Board as he could not afford full-time university.
In 1981 he was admitted and became a sole practitioner solicitor until his election to Parliament. As a solicitor Lawlor was also employed as a consultant to Southport law firm Gall Standfield & Smith.
Peter Lawlor has two daughters and a son, Ali, Jane and Phil and two grandchildren. Ali Lawlor has worked as a journalist for The Courier-Mail
in Brisbane and Townsville. All three of his children returned from London and Hong Kong to assist him for his 2001 inaugural victory.
He was a committee member of the Gold Coast Turf Club for 15 years, elected at the 2001 AGM as deputy chairman, in a letter to all committee members before the 2002 AGM Lawlor ended speculation and announced that he would not run for chairman as it would be a conflict with his position as the Member for Southport.
He has been involved in numerous sporting clubs including cricket, rugby league, rugby union and Australian Rules football.
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 for Southport
Electoral district of Southport
The district of Southport is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Queensland.The district is based in the northern part of the Gold Coast. It is named for the suburb of Southport, and also includes the suburbs of Arundel, Ernest, Labrador, Molendinar and...
in the Queensland State Parliament. He previously served as a councillor on the Gold Coast City Council.
Gold Coast City Council
Lawlor served as a Gold Coast City Counciller for two terms up to 1994; he chaired the Council's Planning Committee for three years. During his time on Council Lawlor campaigned on environmental issues and to preserve the Gold Coast BroadwaterGold Coast Broadwater
The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as Southport Broadwater and Gold Coast Harbour, is a large shallow estuary of water reaching from the locality of Southport to the southern section of the World Heritage Listed Moreton Bay along the eastern coast of Australia...
.
At the time Gold Coast City Council had nine Aldermen and a Mayor. Areas to the north and west of the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
came under the separate Shire of Albert
Shire of Albert
The Shire of Albert was a Local Government Area in Queensland, located south of the capital, Brisbane, and taking in areas to the north and west of the Gold Coast. It was named after the Prince Consort of the United Kingdom, and husband of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert...
until the amalgamation of the Council and Shire in 1995.
In March 1988 Peter Lawlor was elected as Division 3 Alderman. At the same election new Mayor Alderman Lex Bell
Lex Bell
Alexander James Douglas "Lex" Bell OAM is a former Australian politician. Born in Brisbane, he received a Master of Laws from Bond University and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Queensland before becoming a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland. He was also on Gold Coast City...
ousted former Mayor Denis Pie. Lex Bell would go on to be elected as the independent Member for Surfers Paradise at a by-election in 2001 soon after Lawlor's own election to Parliament.
Lawlor and Bell were both re-elected in the March 1991 election for a second term. At this election the previously all male Aldermen were joined by three new women Adlermen
As Alderman for the Southport area Lawlor campaigned for the preservation of The Spit as "one of the few undeveloped areas on the Gold Coast". Lawlor blamed the previous Waterways Authority and previous State Government for approving resorts that the Council did not want to go ahead, neither had required Council approval. Vacant land to the south of the Sea World
Sea World
Sea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It includes rides, animal exhibits and other attractions, and promotes conservation through education and through the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. The...
car park was zoned as special purposes under the draft development control plan and could have been developed with a low rise resort or international hotel. Chairman of the Finance Committee of Gold Coast City Council was concerned about valid compensation claims against the Council from developers if previous approvals were revoked now that they came under Council control.
Lawlor, Bell and Gary Baildon were the only three Aldermen to vote against the amalgamation of Gold Coast City and Albert Shire.
In 1996 after Bell and Lawlor had been ousted by the new Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens (politician)
Raymond Alexander Stevens, MP is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal/Liberal National Party member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2006.Born in Townsville, Stevens is married with two children...
administration, Stevens proposed a relocation of the Gold Coast Indy Grand Prix from Surfers Paradise to Southport. Lawlor teamed up with the new Premier Rob Borbidge together with local National Party MP and racing driver Allan Grice
Allan Grice
Allan Maxwell Grice OAM , known to motor-racing fans as Gricey, is an Australian former racing driver and politician, most famous for twice winning the prestigious Bathurst 1000 , and as a privateer driver of a Holden in the Australian Touring Car Championship.Grice also had a successful second...
to oppose the proposed relocation. As the former Planning Committee Chairman Lawlor said that the previous council had decreed that no further commercial development or reclamation of the Broadwater would take place. Mayor Stevens responded that the policy direction of the previous council was irrelevant. Borgidge indicated that the State Government would never support the proposal to reclaim any part of the Broadwater.
Chair of the Planning and Development Committee
Lawlor served as the Chair of the Planning and Development Committee from 1991 until he left Council in 1994. This period of time was within a national recession however he held the view that "The Gold Coast has always been the last place to be affected by recessions and the first to recover..." Environmental protection was a theme to come from his time as Committee Chair.The Gold Coast at this time had not yet established one CBD district. As the Council Planning and Development Committee Chairman Alderman Lawlor lead a plan for Southport to become a future CBD heartland of the Gold Coast which would be supported by regional district and local centres appropriately located throughout the urban area. At the time 159ha of the 317ha of zoned commercial land in Southport was vacant. Council lobbied for the creation of a State Government precinct in Southport.
Another victory claimed by Lawlor on behalf of the Council was the 1992 prevention of commercial development proposals for Crown land on South Stradbroke Island
South Stradbroke Island
South Stradbroke Island is an Australian island in the state of Queensland, south of Brisbane and forms the northern end of Gold Coast. The 21 km by 2.5 km sized island is the smaller one of the two Stradbroke Islands and lies very close to the mainland. The island has hundreds of wild...
, including a golf course by Christopher Skase
Christopher Skase
Christopher Charles Skase was an Australian businessman who later became one of his country's most wanted fugitives, after his business empire crashed spectacularly and he fled to Majorca in Spain.-Early life:...
. Several hundreds of hectares of land were rezoned for environmental use after a five year Council battle. The vacant Crown land on the island was declared an environmental park under joint trusteeship of the council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Meanwhile in 1991 Council acquired 4ha of privately owned land near the southern-most tip of the island and had it rezoned to public open space.
In 1993 Council tightened the town plan to outlaw prostitution in residential areas. At the time prostitution with two or more operators were banned by state law but single operators were not covered, until then Council had gained prosecutions against prostitution by deeming it a business activity in a residential area. The new town plan specifically defined and excluded prostitution from being a home occupation from residential areas.
Southport
The Electoral District of Southport is based in the northern part of the Gold CoastGold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
. It is named for the largest suburb within the electorate of Southport
Southport, Queensland
-Sport:The Southport Sharks Australian rules football club has a presence in the area, including a club and function centre.-Transport:The Broadwaterway is a foreshoreway that encourages pedestrians and cyclists to travel along the Broadwater foreshores of Southport.A ferry terminal is planned for...
, and also includes the suburbs of Arundel
Arundel, Queensland
Arundel is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Arundel had a population of 9,311.Located in the suburb is the Coombabah Lake Conservation Park, bordered by Coombabah Creek and adjacent to the Ivan Gibbs Wetlands Reserve in Coombabah...
, Ernest, Labrador
Labrador, Queensland
Labrador is a small suburb located on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Labrador had a population of 15,391.The suburb overlooks the Gold Coast Broadwater to the east and Southport on the southern border....
, Molendinar
Molendinar, Queensland
Molendinar also known as Silver Bridle is a small, mainly industrial suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Molendinar had a population of 5,606....
and Parkwood
Parkwood, Queensland
Parkwood is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, about 3 km west of Southport. At the 2006 Census, Parkwood had a population of 8,470. Due to its proximity to Griffith University, a significant proportion of the population are university students.-External links:*...
. It was re-created for the 1977 election
Queensland state election, 1977
Elections were held in the Australian state of Queensland on 12 November 1977 to elect the 82 members of the state's Legislative Assembly.The election resulted in a fourth consecutive victory for the National-Liberal Coalition under Joh Bjelke-Petersen...
after having been a previous electoral district throughout the 1950s. The suburb of Southport was names so because it was the southernmost port of the colony of Queensland.
Peter Lawlor has been the Labor endorsed candidate for the Southport Electoral District at every State election since 1992. He marginally lost the 1992, 1995 and 1998 elections against the long term incumbent National Party
National Party of Australia
The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
Member Mick Veivers
Mick Veivers
Mick Veivers was the Member for Southport from 1987 to 2001 and was Minister for Emergency Services and Sport in the Borbidge Government. He had previously been a Rugby League international....
. Veivers was Minister for Emergency Services and Sport in the Borbidge Government
Borbidge Ministry
The Borbidge Ministry was a Ministry of the Government of Queensland, led by National Party Premier Rob Borbidge and his deputy, Liberal leader Joan Sheldon....
and had been a Rugby League international before being elected to the seat in 1987. Lawlor finally succeeded in gaining the seat from Veivers on behalf of the Labor Party in 2001 with over 60% of the two party preferred vote and maintained that high margin until a swing against him in the 2009 election brought his share of the vote down to 53.48%.
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Candidate
As a sitting Alderman and local solicitor Lawlor (44) ran for the Electoral District of Southport for the first time in 1992 as a candidate for the incumbent Labor Goss GovernmentWayne Goss
Wayne Keith Goss was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996.-Early life:He was born at Mundubbera, Queensland and educated at Inala High School and the University of Queensland...
. Sitting National Party Member Mick Veivers had a 5% margin, the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
also ran candidate Tim Baker who had previously been a teacher at The Southport School
The Southport School
The Southport School , is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for boys, located in Southport, a suburb on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia....
. Veivers' margin was reduced to 2.3% with Lawlor attracting 45% of the primary vote, the conservative opposition won six of the eight Gold Coast electoral districts.
In the lead up to the 1995 election Veivers argued that his small margin was only "on paper" as this campaign would not be a three-cornered contest involving both major conservative parties. Issues raised during the campaign included a government proposed Gold Coast tolled motorway with the Opposition promising an alternative 18 month upgrade to the highway. Additionally Lawlor raised issues of education, crime and health care, he also emphasised that having a local member in the ruling government was the way to capture public funds. During the campaign Veivers' campaign distributed leaflets in the Southport electorate saying that Labor and the Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
wanted to legalise homosexuals marrying, adopting children and holding mardi gras parades in Southport. Opposition Leader and Member for Surfers Paradise
Electoral district of Surfers Paradise
The district of Surfers Paradise is an electoral district of the State of Queensland in Australia.-Members for Surfers Paradise:-Election results:-External links:*...
expressed his concerns to Veivers about the leaflets. Mr Veivers said that he was not "poofter-bashing" but was speaking out against militant homosexuals who wanted to force their ideas on everyone. Lawlor said that these issues were not on the agenda, that it was dirty politics and that it misrepresented the facts and Labor policy, "it is absolute lies". Veivers increased his primary vote to 51.7%, the first time Southport had been won on primary votes, however he still only had a 4.81% two party preferred margin. The Gold Coast conservatives all retained their seats with large swings towards them.
The Goss Government was re-elected with a one seat majority however after a by-election
Mundingburra state by-election, 1996
The Mundingburra state by-election, 1996 was a by-election held on 3 February 1996 for the Queensland Legislative Assembly seat of Mundingburra, located in the southern suburbs of Townsville...
in North Queensland Rob Borbidge was able to form a minority government. Merri Rose
Merri Rose
Merri Rose was a minister in the Beattie government and member for Currumbin in the Queensland Parliament. -Early life:...
was the only Labor Party Member based on the Gold Coast and Premier Borbidge was a local himself. The election was unusual and difficult to predict because the One Nation Party had gained significant momentum locally and across the state. Labor focused the bulk of its Gold Coast campaign funds into Peter Lawlor's campaign for Southport. The Southport area was seen to be a traditional Labor area and local Member Mick Veivers was now a Minister.
The Borbidge Government retained all their seats on the Gold Coast in 1998 however they lost seats elsewhere and the one term government fell to the Labor Party. Peter Beattie
Peter Beattie
Peter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...
became the new Premier, sole Gold Coast MP Rose became the Tourism Minister. Between 1998 and the 2001 election the minority Beattie Government
Beattie Ministry
The Beattie Ministry was a Ministry of the Government of Queensland, led by Labor Premier Peter Beattie. It commenced on 26 June 1998, thirteen days after the Borbidge Ministry, led by Premier Rob Borbidge of the National Party, was defeated at the 1998 election...
held a knife edge majority in the Parliament relying on an independent.
Election
The 2001 Labor election campaign was dominated by the leader Premier Beattie, voters were told to 'just vote 1' in a tactic to deprive the conservatives' the benefit from One Nation preferences.Controversially Veivers entered into a local preference deal with the One Nation Party for a second time. One Nation had attracted 21.7% of the Southport vote at the 1998 election. Veivers recommended that Southport voters give the One Nation candidate their second preference ahead of both Lawlor and an independent candidate, this deal was in defiance of a ban on such preference deals by Opposition Leader Rob Borbidge. Days before the election Borbidge announced that Veivers would head a bid for the 2010 World Expo
Expo 2010
Expo 2010, officially Expo 2010 Shanghai China was held on both banks of the Huangpu River in the city of Shanghai, China, from May 1 to October 31, 2010. It was a major World Expo in the tradition of international fairs and expositions, the first since 1992...
which provided a last minute boost for the veteran MP.
Lawlor defeated Veivers on 17 February 2001 becoming the first non-conservative politician to be elected to the Electoral District. He was one of 66 Labor candidates
Candidates of the Queensland state election, 2001
This article provides information on candidates who stood for the 2001 Queensland state election, held on February 17, 2001.-Labor:*Paul Braddy MLA *David Hamill MLA -National:*Russell Cooper MLA...
elected as part of a landslide swing towards the Government. On the Gold Coast Labor won seven of nine electorates, previously they had only had one Government Member.
Peter Lawlor's 2001 campaign office was run by his daughter Jane and his campaign manager was Terry Callaghan. He won all 14 electoral booths with 50.9% of the primary vote (11 245 votes) and 60.8% of the two party preferred vote. These results were a 14.1% primary vote swing toward Lawlor and a 13.9% two party preferred swing against the sitting Member Mick Veivers.
Member
In his inaugural speech to the Queensland Parliament Lawlor identified a Gold Coast light rail system as the answer to the high growth in local population and traffic, indicating that roads and cars alone could not be relied upon, he attacked the Howard federal GovernmentHoward Government
The Howard Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard. It was made up of members of the Liberal–National Coalition, which won a majority of seats in the Australian House of Representatives at four successive elections. The Howard Government...
for not supporting the project. The Gold Coast Broadwater was named as "the greatest natural asset of Southport" which needed protection. Lawlor attacked the previous Borbidge government for approving a horizon tank
Horizon tank
A horizon tank is a large tank built on the coast and used in filmmaking. They allow filmmakers to film an ocean horizon without having to be in the middle of the ocean.-History:...
for film making that was to be constructed on public land at the Southport Spit.
In early 2002 Lawlor and Member for Broadwater Peta-Kaye Croft
Peta-Kaye Croft
Peta-Kaye Croft is an Australian politician.In 2001 she was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly in the seat of Broadwater for the Labor Party. She was born in Mount Isa and lived in Townsville and Brisbane during her early years...
started a campaign opposing a Gold Coast City Council document titled "Harbour Vision 2020", Lawlor estimated that a petition he started on the issue had attracted 1000 signatures in 10 days. The petitioners opposed commercial development on Wave Break Island, the western foreshore and any reclamation. Lawlor criticised on environmental and engineering grounds any possibility of a new bridge being built to Wave Break Island and a possible cruise ship facility on the island. As a former Councillor himself Lawlor criticised the Council on leadership saying that such an important document should not have been left to bureaucrats to write. "The monkeys are taking over the zoo" he said. In March 2002 Lawlor publicly supported a proposal to develop a cruise-ship terminal at the northern end of The Spit, the terminal plan was identified by Lawlor as being in the Seaway and not the Broadwater. Both the Gold Coast Bulletin and local Councillor Dawn Crichlow were critical of the perceived about-face. Later that year the State Government ruled out allowing any bridge across the Broadwater to Wave Break Island. The Mayor Gary Baildon attributed the decision to Peter Lawlor's election commitments and subsequent campaign against Harbour Visions 2020.
In the 2004 election he maintained his majority from 2001 against National Party challenger Bob Bennett, a former senior police officer and brother of Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
coach Wayne Bennett. 2004 was to be the last time the One Nation Party contested the seat. Lawlor attracted 54.1% of the primary vote, an increase of 3.2% and maintained his two party preferred result of 60%. The Courier-Mail speculated that Lawlor was a front-runner for a Cabinet position immediately after the election but Margaret Keech
Margaret Keech
Margaret Majella Keech is an Australian politician and is a member of for the Labor Party.In 2001 she was the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland for the seat of Albert and is currently the Government Whip...
, the Member for Albert was promoted.
Bennett again challenged Lawlor for the Nationals in the 2006 election. The Government's popularity on the Gold Coast was effected in the lead up to the election by a proposed cruise ship terminal proposed for the Southport Spit. Premier Peter Beattie made two major Gold Coast election announcements in the first week of the campaign; cancelling the cruise ship terminal project on environmental grounds and increasing local hospital upgrade plans from 500 beds for $500 million to 750 beds for $1.23 billion. The local electoral results were very similar to 2004, Lawlor maintained 53.3% of the primary vote and 59.1% of the two party preferred vote giving him a 9.1% margin.
An electoral redistribution reduced Lawlor's majority down to 8% when the Southport electoral district was moved slightly southward. Lawlor was challenged in the 2009 election
Queensland state election, 2009
The Queensland state election was held to elect members to the unicameral Parliament of Queensland on 21 March 2009. The election saw the incumbent Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh defeat the Liberal National Party of Queensland led by Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg, and gain a...
by five other candidates
Candidates of the Queensland state election, 2009
This article provides information on candidates standing for the 2009 Queensland state election, which was held on 21 March 2009.-Labor:*Chris Bombolas MP *Gary Fenlon MP *Ken Hayward MP *Linda Lavarch MP...
including local marketing and management consultant Tinia Wright for the newly merged Liberal National Party (LNP) opposition and also Brian Morris of the Daylight Saving for South East Queensland
Daylight Saving for South East Queensland
Daylight Saving for South East Queensland is a political party in Queensland, Australia. It is a single-issue party, run by volunteers, which advocates the implementation of a dual-time zone arrangement for Daylight Saving in South East Queensland while the remainder of the state maintains...
Party. The Gold Coast Bulletin
The Gold Coast Bulletin
The Gold Coast Bulletin is a daily newspaper serving Australia's Gold Coast region.It is published as The Gold Coast Bulletin on weekdays and the Weekend Bulletin at weekends....
criticised the LNP for not matching a Government promise of a $60 million stadium upgrade and a tourism package that promised equal funding to the Gold Coast and Mount Isa. The LNP used the stadium upgrade as a key election issue and emphasised a contrasting priority of transport and health on the Gold Coast. Two days from the election internal polling by The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
predicted a swing of 8-10% against Lawlor. Lawlor was re-elected with a reduced majority, he achieved 45.33% of the primary vote and 53.48% of the two party preferred vote.
Parliament
Lawlor has been identified as being a Parliamentarian with a quick wit, his one liners have enlivened a number of parliamentary sessions.Lawlor's first stouch in Parliament was with Opposition racing spokesman Howard Hobbs
Howard Hobbs
Howard William Thomas Hobbs is an Australian politician representing the seat of Warrego in the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 1 November 1986. He was a member of the National Party of Australia until the Queensland division merged with the Liberal party to form the Liberal National Party...
over an an alleged forged document the opposition had tabled in parliament which was a draft letter from the Queensland Principal Club, Lawlor accused Hobbs of misleading the House by not checking the letter's authenticity. Soon after Lawlor named a Gold Coast man as the mastermind of an international scam purporting to supply humanitarian aid, promising investors returns of 10 to 40 per cent the scam duped Australians and New Zealanders of over $6 million.
In July 2002 Bob Quinn
Bob Quinn (Australian politician)
Robert Joseph Quinn is an Australian Liberal Party politician in the Queensland parliament. He was leader of the Queensland Liberal Party from 2001 until being ousted on 7 August 2006 by Bruce Flegg....
had an unusual advocate in Lawlor, who made an impassioned speech in Parliament in support of the Liberal Leader, Lawlor told the Parliament of a plan by 'branch stackers' in the Liberal Party to drive Mr Quinn out of politics. Mr Lawlor said that he had known Quinn for over 40 years and he was an honest and conscientious person. Allegations were raised of ethnic branch stacking on the Gold Coast within the Liberal Party using the federal Division of Fadden
Division of Fadden
The Division of Fadden is an Australian Electoral Division in Queensland.The division was created in 1977 and is named for Sir Arthur Fadden, Prime Minister of Australia in 1941. When it was created it included a large area south of Brisbane, but today it is located in the northern Gold Coast area,...
as an example where he alleged 50 Vietnamese had suddenly joined the Springwood business branch as pensioners or students, non of whom lived within the electoral division. The next week Peter Beattie followed suit and mocked the Liberal Leader in Parliament saying that he was his number one supporter.
In 2003 long term friend and fellow turf club icon Peter Gallagher (66) died after a six-month battle with cancer. Lawlor wept in State Parliament as Premier Beattie spoke about his achievements, Lawlor went on to give a long speech in honour of his close friend who he had known his whole life.
The Palm Island Select Committee was formed in April 2005 after a death in custody and riot on Palm Island
Palm Island, Queensland
Palm Island is an Aboriginal community located on Great Palm Island, also called by the Aboriginal name "Bwgcolman", an island on the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, Australia The settlement is also known by a variety of other names including "the Mission", Palm Island Settlement or Palm...
was a bipartisan committee Chaired by Peter Lawlor. The Committee recommended;
- Appointment of a resource officer to liaise with government.
- Examine the need to appoint a financial controller for the Palm Island Council.
- Pursue transferring ownership of the Palm Island retail store from Government.
- Grant long-term leases to encourage home ownership.
- Address the housing shortage.
- Develop an education precinct.
- Establishing library services.
- Stage a career expo each year.
- Comletion of infrastructure work relating to sea transport services.
- Carry out a suicide audit.
- Establishment of a community and cultural centre.
- Improve cultural awareness training for police.
- Establishment of a safe house for young people.
- Finalise an Alcohol Management Plan.
Minister
On 24 March 2009 after the reelection of the Bligh Labor Government the PremierAnna Bligh
Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...
announced that Peter Lawlor would be one of eight Members to be promoted to the Cabinet as a Minister. Lawlor was sworn in by the Governor as the Minister for Tourism and Fair Trading on 26 March 2009. The ministerial portfolio of Tourism and Fair Trading holds responsibility for tourism, fair trading, charities, occupational licensing, art unions, Golden Casket, casinos, machine gaming, liquor licensing and racing.
Lawlor is one of 18 Ministers of the Queensland Cabinet, regardless of their own opinions all Ministers must take collective responsibility for, and publicly support decisions made by Cabinet. As a member of the Ministry, Lawlor is a member of Executive Council. Executive Council is the formal means by which the Governor is given advice by Ministers under the Westminster system. As a member of the Queensland Executive Council Lawlor is ranked 31 on the Australian order of precedence. Members of the Executive Council are fifth on the Queensland State Order of Precedence after the Governor, Premier, Prime Minister and Chief Justice of Queensland.
In a high profile interview for The Courier-Mail, new Opposition Leader and Member for Surfers Paradise John-Paul Langbroek
John-Paul Langbroek
John-Paul Honoré Langbroek is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly representing the Liberal Party and its successor, the centre-right Liberal National Party, in the seat of Surfers Paradise since 2004...
used Lawlor as an example of how he did not have enmity with anyone, even his political opponents, by stating "for instance, I like Peter Lawlor... he is a true believer in the Labor ideals, so I admire him for that."
Legislation under the portfolio of the Minister for Tourism and Fair Trading |
|
|---|---|
| Portfolio | |
| Tourism | Tourism Queensland Act 1979 and Traveller Accommodation Providers (Liability) Act 2001 |
| Fair Trading | All Saints Church Lands Act 1924, All Saints Church Lands Act 1960, Anglican Church of Australia Act 1895, Anglican Church of Australia Act 1977, Anglican Church of Australia Act 1985 Amendment Act 1901, Anglican Church of Australia Constitution Act 1961, Anglican Church of Australia (Diocese of Brisbane) Property Act 1889, Ann Street Presbyterian Church Act 1889, Associations Incorporation Act 1981, Associations Incorporation Regulation 1999, Bills of Sale and Other Instruments Act 1955, Bills of Sale and Other Instruments Regulation 1999, Bishopsbourne Estate and See Endowment Trusts Act 1898, Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997, Boonah Show Ground Act 1914, Building Units and Group Titles Act 1980, Business Names Act 1962, Business Names Regulation 1998, Charitable Funds Act 1958, Chinese Temple Society Act 1964, Churches of Christ, Scientist, Incorporation Act 1964, Collections Act 1966, Consumer Credit (Queensland) Act 1994, Consumer Credit Regulation 1995, Consumer Credit Code Cooperatives Act 1997, Cooperatives Regulation 1997, Credit Act 1987, Credit (Rural Finance) Act 1996, Disposal of Uncollected Goods Act 1967, Factors Act 1892, Fair Trading Act 1989, Fair Trading Regulation 2001, Fair Trading (Code of Practice - Fitness Industry) Regulation 2003, Funeral Benefit Business Act 1982, Funeral Benefit Business Regulation 2000, Guides Queensland Act 1970, Hire-purchase Act 1959, Introduction Agents Act 2001, Introduction Agents Regulation 2002, Land Sales Act 1984, Land Sales Regulation 2000, Liens on Crops of Sugar Cane Act 1931, Liens on Crops of Sugar Cane Regulation 1999, Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Act 2003, Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Regulation 2003, Mercantile Act 1867, Motor Vehicles and Boats Securities Act 1986, Motor Vehicles and Boats Securities Regulation 2005, Partnership Act 1891, Partnership Regulation 2004, Presbyterian Church of Australia Act 1900, Presbyterian Church of Australia Act 1971, Property Agents and Motor Dealers Act 2000, Property Agents and Motor Dealer Regulation 2001, PAMD (Auctioneering Practice Code of Conduct) Regulation 2001, PAMD (Commercial Agency Practice Code of Conduct) Regulation 2001, PAMD (Motor Dealing Practice Code of Conduct) Regulation 2001, PAMD (Property Developer Practice Code of Conduct) Regulation 2001, PAMD (Real Estate Agency Practice Code of Conduct) Regulation 2001, PAMD (Restricted Letting Agency Practice Code of Conduct) Regulation 2001, Queensland Congregational Union Act 1967, Queensland Temperance League Lands Act 1985, Residential Services (Accreditation) Act 2002, Retirement Villages Act 1999, Retirement Villages Regulation 2000, Returned Servicemen’s Badges Act 1956, Returned & Services League of Australia (Queensland Branch) Act 1956, Residential Services (Accreditation) Regulation 2002, Roman Catholic Church (Corporation of the Sisters of Mercy of the Diocese of Cairns) Lands Vesting Act 1945, Roman Catholic Church (Incorporation of Church Entities) Act 1994, Roman Catholic Church Lands Act 1985, Roman Catholic Church (Northern Lands) Vesting Act 1941, Roman Catholic Relief Act 1830, Sale of Goods Act 1896, Sale of Goods (Vienna Convention) Act 1986, Salvation Army (Queensland) Property Trust Act 1930, Scout Association of Australia Queensland Branch Act 1975, Sea-Carriage Documents Act 1996, Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 2003, Second-hand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Regulation 2004, Security Providers Act 1993, Security Providers Regulation 2008, Storage Liens Act 1973, Storage Liens Regulation 2008, Trade Measurement Act 1990, Trade Measurement (Miscellaneous) Regulation 1991, Trade Measurement (Measuring Instruments) Regulation 1991, Trade Measurement (Prepacked Articles) Regulation 1991, Trade Measurement (Weighbridges) Regulation 1991, Trade Measurement Administration Act 1990, Trade Measurement Administration Regulation 1991, Travel Agents Act 1988, Travel Agents Regulation 1998, Tourism Services Act 2003, Tourism Services Regulation 2003, Tourism Services (Code of Conduct for Inbound Tour Operators) Regulation 2003, United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Queensland Trustees Act 1942, Uniting Church in Australia Act 1977, Wesleyan Methodist Trust Property Act 1853, Wesleyan Methodists, Independents and Baptists Churches Act 1838 |
| Liquor and Gaming Regulation and Racing | Breakwater Island Casino Agreement Act 1984, Brisbane Casino Agreement Act 1992, Cairns Casino Agreement Act 1993, Casino Control Act 1982, Casino Control Regulation 1999, Casino Gaming Rule 1999, Charitable and Non-Profit Gaming Act 1999, Charitable and Non-Profit Gaming Regulation 1999, Charitable and Non-Profit Gaming Rule 1999, Eagle Farm Racecourse Act 1998, Gaming Machine Act 1991, Gaming Machine Regulation 2002, Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Act 1998, Interactive Gambling (Player Protection—Disqualified Persons) Regulation 1999, Interactive Gambling (Player Protection) Regulation 1998, Jupiters Casino Agreement Act 1983, Keno Act 1996, Keno Regulation 2007, Keno Rule 2007, Liquor Act 1992, Liquor (Approval of Adult Entertainment Code) Regulation 2002, Liquor Regulation 2002, Lotteries Act 1997, Lotteries Regulation 2007, Lotteries Rule 1998, Racing Act 2002, Racing Regulation 2003, Racing Venues Development Act 1982, TAB Queensland Limited Privatisation Act 1999, Wagering Act 1998, Wagering Regulation 1999, Wagering Rule 1999, Wine Industry Act 1994 and Wine Industry Regulation 1995 |
In becoming the new Tourism Minister Lawlor told the Cairns Post that tourism was the lifeblood of both Cairns and the Gold Coast and that he would fly to Cairns and meet with stakeholders as soon as possible to learn more about issues in the far north. Lawlor became Tourism Minister at the height of the Global Economic Crisis
Global economic crisis
Global economic crisis may refer to:*Economic events of the late 2000s:** Financial crisis ** Late-2000s recession*A global recession*Earlier global economic events, such as:...
Body corporate fees structures were challenged in March 2010 by Lawlor in new legislation which prevents penthouse owners from spreading their higher body corporate fees onto smaller unit owners. Lawlor described the previous practice as a loophole being taken advantage of, an example was used of The Pinnacle building on Surfers Paradise where a penthouse window was allegedly shot out in 2009 over a body corporate feud over a bid to have the fees of $3million penthouses halved while doubling the fees for smaller, lower-floor units.
A Liquor Licensing staff member anonymously leaked to the Brisbanetimes.com.au in February 2010 that 500 public servant staff from the Office of Liquor Licensing would shift to Ipswich by 2012 under the State Government's decentralisation policy. Lawlor rejected suggestions that there would be a move of 500 public servants by May 2010 and said that it was early stages of consultation and each employee's situation would be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
Personal life
Born 1 March 1948 in North Queensland the eldest of five boys, Lawlor moved to Southport as a small child. Lawlor's family were a self-identified 'Labor family', throughout his childhood in the 1950s and 60s the family handed out how-to-vote cards in Southport which was a safe conservative district. In 1962 he attended the only local high school, Southport State High school, for one year and became the junior athletics champion of the school. He then completed the last three years of high school as a boarder student at Marist BrothersMarist College Ashgrove
Marist College Ashgrove is a Roman Catholic day and boarding school for boys, located in Ashgrove, a northern suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia....
in Ashgrove, Brisbane. After graduation Lawlor worked for the Commonwealth Bank and studied economics at the University of Queensland but did not complete the degree.
In the 1970s Lawlor worked as a clerk for Gold Coast City Council and then travelled to Port Moresby as a customs clerk. After a period working for a small engineering firm in Brisbane he married and moved to work as an accountant in a food franchising company in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa where his first child was born. Lawlor and his family then moved to Brisbane where he worked as an accountant in an insurance company. Through the late 70s he studied law through the Solicitors Board as he could not afford full-time university.
In 1981 he was admitted and became a sole practitioner solicitor until his election to Parliament. As a solicitor Lawlor was also employed as a consultant to Southport law firm Gall Standfield & Smith.
Peter Lawlor has two daughters and a son, Ali, Jane and Phil and two grandchildren. Ali Lawlor has worked as a journalist for The Courier-Mail
The Courier-Mail
The Courier-Mail is a daily newspaper published in Brisbane, Australia. Owned by News Limited, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner northern suburbs, and it is printed at Murarrie, in Brisbane's...
in Brisbane and Townsville. All three of his children returned from London and Hong Kong to assist him for his 2001 inaugural victory.
He was a committee member of the Gold Coast Turf Club for 15 years, elected at the 2001 AGM as deputy chairman, in a letter to all committee members before the 2002 AGM Lawlor ended speculation and announced that he would not run for chairman as it would be a conflict with his position as the Member for Southport.
He has been involved in numerous sporting clubs including cricket, rugby league, rugby union and Australian Rules football.