Peter Coleman

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This article is about the Australian politician. For the governor of American Samoa, see Peter Tali Coleman.

(William) Peter Coleman (born 15 December 1928) is an Australian writer/journalist and former politician. Coleman was born in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield and educated at the selective North Sydney Boys High School. He graduated from the University of Sydney with a BA in 1950 and from the London School of Economics with an M Sc in 1952. He married Verna Scott (biographer) in April 1952 and they have two daughters (Tanya, lawyer and wife of Peter Costello,Ursula, children's book author Ursula Dubosarsky) and a son (William, economist). He subsequently taught for a year in Sudan.[1]

Contents

[edit] Writer and Journalist

Coleman was associate editor of Observer (a defunct fortnightly magazine owned by Frank Packer)[2] between 1958 and 1960, editor of the Bulletin between 1964 and 1967 and editor of Quadrant for twenty years between 1967 and 1990. {cite web

 | title =Biography for Coleman, William Peter 
 | publisher =Parliament of Australia
 | work=ParlInfo Web 
 | url =http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/view_document.aspx?id=7933&table=BIOGS
 | accessdate = 2007-08-21 }}</ref>

Coleman has published many books. The best known are a history of Australian censorship "Obscenity Blasphemy Sedition" (1962);biographies "The Heart of James McAuley" (1980), "The Real Barry Humphries" (1991), and "Bruce Beresford' (1992); a study of the Cold War and the intellectuals "The Liberal Conspiracy. The Congress for Cultural Freedom and the Struggle for the Mind of Postwar Europe" (1989).He published the autobiographical "Memoirs of a Slow Learner" in 1994. He has also edited a number of books of which the best known are "Australian Civilization" (1962) and "Six Incorrect Essays" (1999).

[edit] Public life

Coleman was elected as the Liberal member for Fuller in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in February 1968 being returned with increasing majorities at the subsequent three elections.[3]

He was Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer from October 1975 to January 1976 and Chief Secretary from January 1976 until the defeat of the Willis government in May 1976. Coleman was the parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party from 16 December 1977 until he lost his seat in the 1978 election.[1]

He was an executive member of the Australian Association for Cultural Freedom from 1967 to 1989; a member of the Australian Council for the Arts from 1968 to 1973, councillor of the National Institute of Dramatic Art from 1970 to 1985, and chairman of the Interim Council of the National Film and Television School from 1971 to 1973.

In September 1979, Coleman was appointed as Administrator of Norfolk Island. Following the resignation of Robert Ellicott, he gained Liberal Party pre-selection for the federal seat of Wentworth and was elected in a by-election in April 1981. He retired from parliament before the 1987 election[4] and resumed his literary career.

[edit] Publications

  • Coleman, Peter (1974). Obscenity, blasphemy, sedition: censorship in Australia. Brisbane: Jacaranda Press, 211. ISBN 1875989722. 
  • Coleman, Peter; Les Tanner (1978). Cartoons of Australian history. West Melbourne: Thomas Nelson. ISBN 0170052753. 
  • Coleman, Peter (1980). The heart of James McAuley: life and work of the Australian poet. Sydney: Wildcat Press, 132. ISBN 0 908463 05 7. 
  • Coleman, Peter (1984). Memoirs of a slow learner. Pymble: Angus and Robertson, 166. ISBN 0207182485. [4]
  • Coleman Peter, The Liberal Conspiracy. The Congress for Cultural Freedom and the Struggle for the Mind of Postwar Europe,New York, The Free Press (Macmillan), 1989, 333, ISBN 0-02-906481-3

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Mr (Peter) (William) Peter Coleman (1928 - ). Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  2. ^ Devine, Frank (April 2006). "An Interview with Peter Coleman: Quadrant's First Fifty Years". Quadrant L (5). 
  3. ^ Elections for the District of - Fuller. New South Wales Election Results 1856-. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
  4. ^ a b Biography for Coleman, William Peter. ParlInfo Web. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.

[edit] Notes

Peter Coleman, "Leaves from the Diary of a Madman", in "Confessions and Memoirs" edited by Michael Wilding & David Myers, Central Queensland University Press 2006; reprinted in "Quadrant" December 2006.

Peter Coleman,"Adventures among the Trendies and Uglies", "Quadrant" January-February 2008.

Peter Coleman, "No Road to Damascus. A Political Formation" in "Quadrant" April 1972, reprinted in "Australian Politics. A Third Reader" edited by Henry Mayer and Helen Nelson, Cheshire(Melbourne) 1973

Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
Robert Ellicott		 Member for Wentworth
1981–1987		 Succeeded by
John Hewson


Persondata
NAME Coleman, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Coleman, William Peter
SHORT DESCRIPTION Australian writer, journalist and politician
DATE OF BIRTH 15 December 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH Caulfield, Victoria
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH