Andrew Peacock

Andrew Sharp Peacock AC GCL (born 13 February 1939) is a former Australian politician and diplomat. He served twice as leader of the Liberal Party (1983–1985 and 1989–1990), leading the party to defeat at the 1984 and 1990 elections. He had earlier been a long-serving cabinet minister.


Andrew Peacock

Peacock in 1969
Leader of the Opposition
In office
9 May 1989  3 April 1990
Prime MinisterBob Hawke
DeputyFred Chaney
Preceded byJohn Howard
Succeeded byJohn Hewson
In office
11 March 1983  5 September 1985
Prime MinisterBob Hawke
DeputyJohn Howard
Preceded byBob Hawke
Succeeded byJohn Howard
Australian Ambassador to the United States
In office
2 February 1997  27 February 1999
Nominated byJohn Howard
Preceded byJohn McCarthy
Succeeded byMichael Thawley
Party leadership positions
7th Leader of the Liberal Party
In office
9 May 1989  3 April 1990
DeputyFred Chaney
Preceded byJohn Howard
Succeeded byJohn Hewson
In office
11 March 1983  5 September 1985
DeputyJohn Howard
Preceded byMalcolm Fraser
Succeeded byJohn Howard
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
In office
17 July 1987  9 May 1989
LeaderJohn Howard
Preceded byNeil Brown
Succeeded byFred Chaney
Cabinet posts
Minister for Industry and Commerce
In office
11 October 1982  11 March 1983
Prime MinisterMalcolm Fraser
Preceded byPhillip Lynch
Succeeded byJohn Button
Minister for Industrial Relations
In office
3 November 1980  16 April 1981
Prime MinisterMalcolm Fraser
Preceded byTony Street
Succeeded byIan Viner
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office
11 November 1975  3 November 1980
Prime MinisterMalcolm Fraser
Preceded byDon Willesee
Succeeded byTony Street
Minister for the Environment
In office
12 November 1975  22 December 1975
Prime MinisterMalcolm Fraser
Preceded byJoe Berinson
Succeeded byIvor Greenwood
Minister for External Territories
In office
25 January 1972  5 December 1972
Prime MinisterWilliam McMahon
Preceded byCharles Barnes
Succeeded byGough Whitlam
Minister for Defence
Minister for the Army
In office
12 November 1969  2 February 1972
Prime MinisterJohn Gorton
William McMahon
Preceded byPhillip Lynch
Succeeded byBob Katter, Sr.
Constituency
Member of the Australian Parliament for Kooyong
In office
2 April 1966  17 September 1994
Preceded byRobert Menzies
Succeeded byPetro Georgiou
Personal details
Born
Andrew Sharp Peacock

(1939-02-13) 13 February 1939
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Political partyLiberal
Spouse(s)
(m. 1963; div. 1978)

Margaret Ingram
(m. 1983; div. 1995)

(m. 2002)
RelationsJohn Rossiter (father-in-law)
Children3; including Jane
ResidenceAustin, Texas, U.S.
EducationScotch College
Alma materUniversity of Melbourne

Peacock was born in Melbourne and attended Scotch College before studying law at the University of Melbourne. A former president of the Young Liberals, he was elected to Parliament at the age of 27, filling the blue-ribbon seat of Kooyong, vacated by Sir Robert Menzies. Peacock was appointed to cabinet in 1969 by John Gorton and later served under William McMahon and Malcolm Fraser. He held a variety of portfolios, most notably serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1975 to 1980. He unsuccessfully challenged Fraser for the Liberal leadership in 1982, but was then elected as Fraser's successor following the party's defeat at the 1983 election.

At the 1984 election, the Peacock-led Coalition slightly reduced Labor's majority. He resigned the Liberal leadership the following year after failing to have his deputy John Howard removed; he was duly replaced by Howard. He remained a member of the shadow cabinet, and in 1987 unsuccessfully challenged Howard for the leadership; he was instead elected deputy leader. Peacock finally returned as leader in 1989. However, his second term lasted less than a year, as he resigned after another electoral defeat in 1990. Peacock left politics in 1994 and was later appointed Ambassador to the United States (1997–1999). Along with Tom Hughes, he is the last surviving Liberal member of the Second Gorton Ministry (1969-1971) and the McMahon Ministry.

Early life

Peacock was born in Melbourne, Victoria, the son of Andrew Sharp Peacock Sr and his wife, Iris Lamb. His father was a marine engineer and one of the founders of Peacock and Smith Ltd, a large shipbuilding firm. He was educated at Scotch College and at the University of Melbourne, where he graduated in law. He practised law in Melbourne while making a rapid advance in the Liberal Party. He unsuccessfully contested the seat of Yarra in the 1961 federal election, although he bucked the national trend by increasing the Liberal primary vote, impressing party elders. He was president of the Young Liberals in 1962 and, in 1963, he married Susan Rossiter (1942–2016), the daughter of Victorian Liberal MLA Sir John Rossiter.[1] They had three daughters, one of them being the horse trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam.[2] By 1965 he was president of the Victorian Liberal Party.

Early political career

Peacock after being sworn in as Army Minister in 1969

In February 1966, former prime minister Sir Robert Menzies resigned, triggering a by-election in Kooyong, the eastern Melbourne electorate that he had held for 32 years. Peacock gained Liberal preselection, making him the favourite in this comfortably safe Liberal seat. The Liberals (and their predecessors) had held the seat since Federation, usually without serious difficulty. As expected, he won the 2 April by-election, albeit with a slightly reduced majority. He easily retained his seat in the general election held seven months later. In 1969 he was appointed Minister for the Army and in this role played a minor part in the drama which brought down then prime pinister John Gorton in 1971. In 1972, William McMahon made him Minister for Territories, in charge of Australia's colonial possession, Papua New Guinea, where he was responsible for bringing in self-government.[3]

When the Liberals went into opposition in December 1972, Peacock became a senior member of the Liberal frontbench. As a party moderate, he was a supporter of the new leader, Billy Snedden. When Snedden lost the 1974 election, Peacock began to be seen as a leadership candidate, but it was Malcolm Fraser who took the initiative and deposed Snedden in 1975. Fraser made Peacock foreign affairs spokesperson, and when Fraser led the Liberals back to power in December 1975 Peacock became Minister for Foreign Affairs, aged 36.

He served as foreign minister until 1980, acquiring a reputation as an effective, well-connected and hardworking minister, although he was seen by some as an international playboy, particularly through his well-publicised relationship with Shirley MacLaine (his marriage had by this time ended in divorce). He had a number of acrimonious disputes with Fraser, particularly over the recognition of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. After the 1980 election he asked for a change of portfolio, and Fraser made him Minister for Industrial Relations. In April 1981 he suddenly resigned, accusing Fraser of constant interference in his portfolio. Fraser called a party meeting, at which Peacock tried to depose him as party leader and prime minister. Fraser managed to fend off this challenge. John Howard succeeded Sir Phillip Lynch as deputy leader in the same meeting.

Peacock returned to cabinet in October 1982, replacing the retiring Lynch as Minister for Industry and Commerce. He held that position until the defeat of the Fraser Government.

Leader of the Liberal Party

Fraser's government was defeated in the March 1983 election by the Labor Party under Bob Hawke. Fraser immediately retired from politics, and Peacock contested the party leadership, defeating Howard, who remained as Deputy Leader.

As Opposition Leader, Peacock faced an uphill battle against the hugely popular Hawke.

In fact unlike the previous time his party was in Opposition between 1972 and 1975 first led by Billy Snedden and then by Malcolm Fraser, Peacock did not push for an early election. When an early election was called however in late 1984, he described it as unnecessary and accused Hawke of calling one for fear of the economy turning down in the following year 1985.[4]

At the 1984 election he was given little chance of winning, but he performed better than expected by reducing Hawke's majority. In 1985, as Labor's position in opinion polls improved, Peacock's popularity sank and Howard's profile rose, keeping leadership speculation alive. Peacock said he would no longer accept Howard as deputy unless he offered assurances that he would not challenge for the leadership. Following Howard's refusal to offer such an assurance, in September 1985 Peacock sought to replace him with John Moore as Deputy Leader.[5] The party room re-elected Howard as Deputy, contrary to Peacock's wishes. Despite possessing greater support in the parliamentary party than Howard,[6] Peacock unexpectedly resigned, concluding the situation was untenable. Howard was comfortably elected Opposition Leader on 5 September,[7] and he appointed Peacock Shadow Foreign Minister. However, after a private car-phone conversation between Peacock and then-Victorian opposition leader (and future Premier) Jeff Kennett severely attacking Howard was leaked to the press, Howard dismissed Peacock from his shadow cabinet in March 1987, calling Peacock's actions "damaging" and "unloyal".[8]

Howard lost the 1987 election to Hawke, largely due to the Nationals pulling out of the Coalition in support of Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen's quixotic bid to become Prime Minister. After the election, Peacock was elected Deputy Leader in a show of party unity. But Peacock's supporters began to plot against Howard, and in May 1989 they mounted a party room coup which returned Peacock to the leadership. Peacock, now 50, cultivated a new mature image, enhanced by a second marriage to Margaret St George. He also renewed the Coalition with the Nationals.

On 18 March 1990, Peacock was interviewed by Laurie Oakes on the television program Sunday, regarding his stance on the Multifunction Polis (MFP), a proposal to build a Japanese funded technology city in Australia.[9] Peacock attacked the MFP concept, saying it would become an Asian "enclave".[10] According to Roy Morgan Research, Peacock's attack on the MFP did not help him politically, and the Labor Party used the issue to highlight division within the Liberal Party, as John Elliott and others supported the MFP.[9] The following day, The Australian newspaper ran a headline titled Peacock a 'danger in the Lodge'.'[9]

At the 1990 election the Coalition won a slim majority (50.10 percent) of the two-party vote and took seven seats from Labor. It also slashed Labor's majority from 24 seats to nine. However, it only garnered a 0.93 percent two-party swing. Combined with a three percent swing against the Nationals (who saw their leader, Charles Blunt, ousted in his own seat), this prevented the Coalition from picking up the additional seven seats the Coalition needed to make Peacock Prime Minister. This was all despite Hawke's government being in political trouble, with record high interest rates and a financial crisis in Victoria. Although Peacock was credited with helping the non-Labor forces regain much of what they had lost three years earlier, it was not enough to save his job, and he resigned after the election. He became Shadow Attorney-General (1990–92) and Shadow Trade Minister (1992–93) under the new leader, Dr John Hewson, whom Peacock had supported in getting the job in 1990 over Peter Reith and to stop Howard returning.[11] After Hewson's election as leader, Hewson endorsed Peacock as his deputy, which caused a furore with Howard supporters. Peacock, however, had no interest in becoming deputy leader again and withdrew happily. Peter Reith was instead elected deputy in a close contest against Peacock supporter David Jull.[12] Peacock believed Hewson to be the best man for the job after seeing that Hewson was a hard working shadow treasurer.[13]

He returned to Foreign Affairs when Hewson lost the 1993 election to Paul Keating. He retained Foreign Affairs when Hewson was displaced by Alexander Downer, whom Peacock supported after Hewson initiated the May 1994 spill. Peacock believed Hewson made a mistake in calling a spill; Peacock was not aware of Hewson's intention before it happened but decided afterwards to support Downer as he felt no longer obligated to support Hewson.[13]

After politics

Ambassador Peacock and Minister for Defence John Moore at the Pentagon in 1999.

Peacock resigned from Parliament in September 1994. In 1996 when asked about blocking John Howard, Malcolm Fraser said Peacock obviously was, while Peacock claimed he supported John Hewson continuing.[14] When Howard became Prime Minister in 1996, he appointed Peacock as the Australian Ambassador to the United States.[15] Since the end of this appointment in 1999, Peacock has mostly lived in the United States.[16]

In 2002 he married Penne Percy Korth, a Washington, D.C. society figure and former United States Ambassador to Mauritius. Midway through 2002 Peacock joined Boeing Australia Holdings as President of Boeing Australia.[17] He retired from Boeing in 2007, and joined Gold Coast-based fund manager MFS Ltd as chairman.[18] He held the position for 15 months, resigning shortly before the firm collapsed with debts of $2.5 billion. He later stated: "I should have looked more carefully at MFS before going into it. The business wasn't going well, and I thought I could turn it around but I couldn't.".[19]

His daughter Ann Peacock married Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger in 1999. They had two sons before separating in 2009. Peacock had earlier endorsed his future son-in-law Kroger as his successor in Kooyong in 1994 but Kroger declined.

Peacock with his third wife Penne Percy Korth Peacock at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2016

Peacock and his American-born third wife retired to Austin, Texas, where she had gone to university. He visits Australia regularly and does not intend to become a U.S. citizen, although he holds a green card. He gave up drinking after moving to the U.S., after experiencing heart problems. Peacock supported Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, after originally supporting Marco Rubio in the Republican primaries. He placed a bet on Trump to become president even before the first primary, at odds of 16–1. In a January 2018 interview with the Australian Financial Review, he said he was "disquieted by the first year's performance", praising Trump's tax cuts but expressing his disappointment with Trump's decisions to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. According to Peacock, his wife is a staunch conservative and regards him as "the most liberal person she's ever met". He has expressed dismay at the disappearance of moderate Republicans, and the general polarisation of American politics.[19]

Honours

Peacock was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1997.

For his role in bringing in New Guinea independence, Peacock was appointed a Chief Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu in 2006.[20]

In 2017, Peacock was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun by the government of Japan, "for his contribution to strengthening and promoting friendly relations between Japan and Australia".[21]

References

  1. Rossiter, Sir John Frederick, Victorian Parliament page
  2. Jane has pedigree to make grade, The Daily Telegraph, 7 July 2005
  3. Peacock made 'bird of paradise' chief, Ninemsn, 19 September 2006
  4. https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22media/pressrel/HPR09009722%22
  5. "Political Chronicles: July to December 1985". Australian Journal of Politics and History: 264. 1986.
  6. Kelly, Paul (1994). The End of Certainty: Power, Politics, and Business in Australia. Allen & Unwin. pp. 192, 193. ISBN 1-86373-757-X.
  7. Howard's labours are slipping away, Alan Ramsay, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 March 2004
  8. Morgan, Gary C. (11 July 1990). "Now there's Democracy in Russia – Australia must be Next". Roy Morgan Research. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2008.
  9. Jupp, James (2007). From White Australia to Woomera: The Story of Australian Immigration. Cambridge University Press. pp. 107–219. ISBN 978-0-521-69789-7.
  10. March of Patriots: The Struggle for Modern Australia. Written by Paul Kelly.
  11. Kelly, Paul, The End of Certainty
  12. "Politics will get you". The Liberals. Episode 5. 1995.
  13. Jackson, Liz (21 August 2011). "An Average Australian Bloke – 19 Feb 1996". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  14. Cusack, Agnes (19 November 1999). "Peacock leaves Washington". AM. ABC Local Radio. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  15. Former Liberal leader to Andrew Peacock to vote in Kew battle: Herald Sun 26 February 2014
  16. Melbourne Law School - Andrew Peacock Archived 11 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Peacock to chair fund manager, Sydney Morning Herald, 20 February 2007
  18. "Why former Liberal leader Andrew Peacock bet on Donald Trump". The Australian Financial Review. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  19. Official Web Site of the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Archived 11 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  20. 2017 Autumn Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals, Embassy of Japan in Australia, 3 November 2017
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by
Robert Menzies
Member for Kooyong
1966  1994
Succeeded by
Petro Georgiou
Political offices
Preceded by
Phillip Lynch
Minister for the Army
1969  1972
Succeeded by
Bob Katter
Preceded by
Charles Barnes
Minister for External Territories
1972
Succeeded by
Gough Whitlam
Preceded by
Joe Berinson
Minister for Environment
1975
Succeeded by
Ivor Greenwood
Preceded by
Don Willesee
Minister for Foreign Affairs
1975  1980
Succeeded by
Tony Street
Preceded by
Tony Street
Minister for Industrial Relations
1980  1981
Succeeded by
Ian Viner
Preceded by
Phillip Lynch
Minister for Industry and Commerce
1982  1983
Succeeded by
John Button
Preceded by
Bob Hawke
Leader of the Opposition
1983–1985
Succeeded by
John Howard
Preceded by
John Howard
Leader of the Opposition
1985–1989
Succeeded by
John Hewson
Party political offices
Preceded by
Malcolm Fraser
Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia
1983  1985
Succeeded by
John Howard
Preceded by
Neil Brown
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia
1987  1989
Succeeded by
Fred Chaney
Preceded by
John Howard
Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia
1989  1990
Succeeded by
John Hewson
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
John McCarthy
Australian Ambassador to the United States
1996  1999
Succeeded by
Michael Thawley
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