| The Hon. Peter Howson CMG | |
|---|---|
| Peter Howson, ca. 1956 | |
| 13th Minister for Air | |
| In office 10 June 1964 – 28 February 1968 |
|
| Prime Minister | Sir Robert Menzies Harold Holt John McEwen John Gorton |
| Preceded by | David Fairbairn |
| Succeeded by | Gordon Freeth |
| Constituency | Fawkner |
| 1st Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts | |
| In office 31 May 1971 – 5 December 1972 |
|
| Prime Minister | William McMahon |
| Succeeded by | Moss Cass |
| Constituency | Casey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 May 1919 London, UK |
| Died | 1 February 2009 (aged 89) Geelong, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Liberal Party of Australia |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1940–1946 |
| Awards | Mentioned in Dispatches |
Peter Howson, CMG (22 May 1919 – 1 February 2009) was an Australian politician.
Howson was born in London, England in 1919 to Jessie and George Arthur Howson, and was educated at Stowe School and Trinity College, Cambridge.[1] During World War II, he served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a pilot from 1940 to 1946, and was Mentioned in Despatches for his service.[2]
Howson was the Liberal Party of Australia member for the House of Representatives seat of Fawkner from his defeat of William Bourke at the 1955 election until its abolition before the 1969 election. He was then elected as the member for Casey. He was appointed Minister for Air in June 1964 in Robert Menzies' last ministry.[3]
In 1967, Harold Holt's government was attacked over allegations that it had misused the VIP aircraft fleet for ministers' private purposes. When asked to table records on the fleet's movements, Holt and Howson refused and implied that they did not exist, but Senator John Gorton later found that the records did exist and tabled them in the Senate.[4] When Gorton became Prime Minister, on 10 January 1968, he retained Howson in his ministry, but after he won a seat in the House of Representatives he carried out a Cabinet reshuffle on 28 February 1968 and dropped Howson from the ministry.[5]
Expecting to be rewarded for his support of McMahon during Gorton's ministry, Howson was disappointed when he was appointed in March 1971 to a portfolio no one in the McMahon Ministry wanted, Australia's first Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts and was controversially reported as commenting: "The little bastard (McMahon) gave me trees, boongs and pooftas".[6] Howson was defeated by Labor's Race Mathews at the 1972 election.[3]
Howson is one of the few Australian politicians to have written and published a diary recording the events during his period as a parliamentarian and as a Minister.[7]
Howson was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1980 for services to Parliament.[8] He was also awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for long and devoted service to improving conditions for Indigenous people.[9]
Howson was active as a commentator on Australia's indigenous people, strongly supporting their Cultural assimilation and deriding the Stolen Generations as a "silly fairy tale".[6][10][11][12][13][14]
Howson died in Geelong after suffering complications from a fall.[15]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David Fairbairn |
Minister for Air 1964–68 |
Succeeded by Gordon Freeth |
| New title | Minister for the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts 1971–72 |
Succeeded by Gough Whitlam |
| Parliament of Australia | ||
| Preceded by William Bourke |
Member for Fawkner 1955–69 |
Division abolished |
| New division | Member for Casey 1969–72 |
Succeeded by Race Mathews |