Biography

Parliamentary service

• Elected to the House of Representatives for Flinders, Victoria at by-election 1982, vice the Rt. Hon. Sir P Lynch, KCMG (resigned). Defeated at general elections 1983. Elected to the House of Representatives for Flinders, Victoria, 1984. Re-elected 1987 and 1990, 1993, 1996 and 1998. Retired prior to general elections 2001.

Ministerial appointments

• Minister for Industrial Relations from 11.3.1996 to 18.7.1997.
• Cabinet Minister from 11.3.1996 to 26.11.2001.
• Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service from 17.3.1996 to 18.7.1997.
• Minister for Workplace Relations and Small Business from 18.7.1997 to 21.10.1998.
• Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business from 21.10.1998 to 30.1.2001.
• Minister for Defence from 30.1.2001 to 26.11.2001.

Committee service

• House of Representatives Standing: Privileges served from 28.2.1985 to 5.6.1987; Privileges served from 8.10.1987 to 8.2.1993; Legal and Constitutional Affairs served from 8.10.1987 to 20.10.1988; Banking, Finance and Public Administration served as Deputy Chair from 12.5.1993 to 12.10.1994; Privileges served from 30.4.1996 to 31.8.1998
• Joint Statutory: Native Title and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Fund served from 3.5.1994 to 29.6.1994

Conferences, delegations and visits

• Official visits to Japan, Korea and Hong Kong, March-April 1997.
• Official visits to Thailand and Singapore, December 1997.
• Official visits to New Zealand, April-May 1998.
• Official visits to New Zealand, January 1999.
• Official visits to Switzerland and UK, June 1999.
• Official visits to Japan, July 1999.
• Official visits to Brunei, June 2000.
• Official visits to East Timor, February 2001.
• Official visits to China, February-March 2001.
• Official visits to USA, April-May 2001.

Parliamentary party positions

• Liberal Party of Australia. Served: 04.12.1982 to 05.03.1983, 01.12.1984 to 08.10.2001
• Shadow Minister for Housing and Construction from 21.4.1987 to 1.5.1987.
• Shadow Minister for Sport, Recreation and Tourism from 1.5.1987 to 14.8.1987.
• Shadow Attorney-General from 14.8.1987 to 16.9.1988.
• Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations from 16.9.1988 to 12.5.1989.
• Shadow Cabinet Minister from 16.9.1988 to 7.4.1993.
• Shadow Minister for Education from 12.5.1989 to 11.4.1990.
• Deputy Leader of the Opposition from 3.4.1990 to 23.3.1993.
• Shadow Treasurer from 11.4.1990 to 7.4.1993.
• Shadow Special Minister of State from 8.9.1993 to 17.1.1994.
• Shadow Minister for Defence with Responsibility for Mabo from 17.1.1994 to 26.5.1994.
• Shadow Cabinet Minister from 17.1.1994 to 11.3.1996.
• Shadow Minister for Defence from 26.5.1994 to 25.9.1994.
• Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs from 25.9.1994 to 31.1.1995.
• Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations from 31.1.1995 to 11.3.1996.
• Manager of Opposition Business in the House from 31.1.1995 to 11.3.1996.
• Deputy Leader of the Federal Parliamentary Liberal Party from 3.4.1990 to 23.3.1993.
• Leader of the House from 11.3.1996 to 8.10.2001.

Party positions

• President of the Liberal Party Phillip Island Branch (Vic.).
• Member of the Young Liberals Sandringham Branch (Vic.) from 1966.
• President of the Young Liberals Sandringham Branch (Vic.), 1970.
• Member of the Young Liberal Movement State Executive (Vic.), 1971.
• Delegate to the Liberal Party State Council (Vic.) from 1978 to 1981.
• Vice-President of the Liberal Party Westernport State Electorate Conference (Vic.) from 1978 to 1981.
• Chair of the Liberal Party Flinders Federal Electorate Conference (Vic.) from 1983 to 1984.
• President of the Liberal Party Mt Eliza Branch (Vic.) from 1983 to 1984.

Personal

• Born: 15.7.1950, Melbourne, Australia
• Died: 8.11.2022
• Gender: Male
• Marital Status: Married

Qualifications and occupation before entering Federal Parliament

• BEc (Monash University).
• LLB (Monash University).
• Company Director.
• Solicitor.
• Secretary at Newhaven College, Phillip Island (Vic.) from 1977 to 1982.

Local Government service

• Member, Western Port Regional Planning Authority from 1976 to 1980.
• Councillor, Phillip Island Shire from 1976 to 1981.
• Member, Western Port Waterworks Trust and Cowes Sewerage Authority from 1977 to 1982.
• President, Phillip Island Shire from 1980 to 1981.

Electorate

• Name: Flinders
• Location: Southern Victoria, east of Melbourne, based on Mornington Peninsula and West Gippsland; it includes the centres of Balnarring, Clyde, Corinella, Cowes, Crib Point, Dalmore, Devon Meadows, Dromana, Flinders, Grantville, Hastings, Koo Wee Rup, Mt Martha, Nyora, Portsea, Rosebud, San Remo, Shoreham, Somerville, South Cranbourne, Tooradin, Tyabb and Yannathan, and French and Phillip Islands.
• Area: 2,089 Sq km
• Electors enrolled: 82,771 (at 3.10.1998)
• Industries: Steel-rolling mill, dairying, fishing, poultry, wineries, orchards and tourism.
• Includes: Flinders includes the Victorian Legislative Assembly electorate of Dromana, and parts of Cranbourne, Frankston, Gippsland West and Mornington.

Honours

• Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, 26.1.2019.

Publications

• Direct democracy: the way ahead, Peter Reith, Canberra: 1994.
• The Reith papers, Melbourne University Publishing, Carlton, Vic.: 2015.