Peter Duncan (Australian politician)

The Honourable
Peter Duncan
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Makin
In office
1 December 1984 – 2 March 1996
Preceded by New seat
Succeeded by Trish Draper
Personal details
Born 1 January 1945
Melbourne, Victoria
Nationality Australian
Political party Australian Labor Party
Alma mater University of Adelaide

Peter Duncan (born 1 January 1945) was an Australian Labor Party politician and one of the relatively few members of parliament to have served not only in both a state and national parliament but also as a minister in both cases.

Peter Duncan was born in Melbourne and went to the University of Adelaide, where he studied law and was co-editor of the student newspaper On Dit in 1968. He was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly from the electorate of Elizabeth in the 1973 South Australian election, when he was 28.[1]

In state parliament Duncan served as Attorney-General from 1975 until the defeat of the Corcoran Labor government at the 1979 election. He resigned from state politics in 1984, sparking an Elizabeth by-election, to contest the seat of Makin in the 1984 Australian election, which he held at every election until defeated when Labor lost office federally in 1996.

Duncan was Minister for Land Transport and Infrastructure Support for the last half of 1987 and Minister for Employment and Education Services for over three years from 1988 to 1990. After leaving the ministry in 1990, he became Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney-General in December 1991, a post he held until Labor lost office.[1]

Duncan had a business career after politics, which became a source of controversy when he was charged in September 2007 with 'making an untrue statement in application for a Commonwealth grant and with dishonestly causing loss to a Commonwealth entity'.[2] It was reported that this had occurred in the wake of the failure of his plastics recycling business Omnipol.[3] He was subsequently ordered to stand trial on three counts in the South Australian District Court.[4] Duncan went on trial on 3 November 2008, pleading not guilty.[5] On 11 November, he was acquitted on all charges.[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Hon. Peter Duncan". Australian Parliamentary Handbook online. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  2. ↑ Riches, Sam (5 September 2007). "Peter Duncan arrested". AdelaideNow. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  3. ↑ "Former Hawke minister refused passport by court". ABC News. 12 September 2007. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  4. ↑ Pia Akerman, 'Hawke minister to stand trial on fraud charge', The Australian, 31 October 2007
  5. ↑ "Duncan fraud trial starts in SA". ABC News. 3 November 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  6. ↑ "Former minister acquitted in fraud trial". ABC News. 11 November 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
Political offices
New title Minister for Land Transport
and Infrastructure Support
1987–1988 		Succeeded by
Clyde Holding
Preceded by
Clyde Holding		 Minister for Employment and
Education Services
1988–1990 		Succeeded by
Peter Baldwin
Parliament of Australia
New division Member for Makin
1984–1996 		Succeeded by
Trish Draper