Peter Durack

Infobox MP
honorific-prefix =The Hon.
name = Peter Durack
honorific-suffix =QC


caption = Durack in 1948
office1 = Attorney-General of Australia
predecessor1 = Robert Ellicott
successor1 = Gareth Evans
term_start1 = 6 September 1977
term_end1 = 11 March 1983
primeminister1 = Malcolm Fraser
birth_date = 20 October 1926
birth_place = Perth, Western Australia, Australia
death_date = death date and age|2008|7|13|1926|10|20
death_place = Perth
nationality = Australian
spouse =
party = Liberal Party of Australia
relations =
children =
residence =
alma_mater =
occupation =
profession = Politician
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Peter Drew Durack, QC (20 October 1926 [ [http://www.aph.gov.au/library/handbook/historical/senate/cotton.kingsmill.htm Parliamentary Handbook: Historical Information] ] - 13 July 2008cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/15/2304358.htm?section=justin|title=Former Liberal senator Peter Durack dies in Perth|work=ABC News|date=2008-07-15] ) was an Australian politician, representing the Liberal Party. He rose to become Attorney General of Australia.

He served in the Senate from 1 July 1970 to 30 June 1993 making him one of the longest-serving Australian senators.

Biography

Durack was educated at Aquinas College and the University of Western Australia. He was the state's 1949 Rhodes Scholar and tutored in law at Oxford. [ [http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/1970/1970senatewa.txt 1970 Senate Election results] at psephos.adam-carr.net] From 1956 he worked as a barrister in Perth and in 1965 was elected into the Western Australian Legislative Assembly as the Member for Perth, a seat he held until 1968. He moved to federal politics by winning one the the Senate seats in the 1970 Senate election, taking office on 1 July 1971.

He was Minister for Repatriation in the Fraser government from July to October 1976, when the title of the portfolio was changed to Minister for Veterans' Affairs. In 1977 he was appointed Attorney-General, serving in that office until the Fraser government's defeat in 1983. During this time he was responsible for the passage of the Freedom of Information Act 1982; he had introduced a private member's bill on the same subject in 1972.

He was deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 1983-87 and 1990-92. [cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/national/liberals-go-to-mind-in-1980s-20080717-3gy0.html?page=1|title=Liberal's 'go to' mind in 1980s|work=The Age (obituary)|date=July 18, 2008|author=Torrance Mendez]

In 1992 he failed to win preselection by his party for a further term, and his political career ended in June 1993.

He died in Perth on 13 July 2008.

Publications

Durack wrote several books, dealing with legal issues and the Mabo court case, with which he was involved during his time as Attorney General.
*"Evidence". ISBN 0-644-01371-0 / ISBN 0644013710
*"The external affairs power" ISBN 0-909536-47-3 / ISBN 0909536473
*"Mabo and after" (with Tony Rutherford). ISBN 0-909536-36-8 / ISBN 0909536368

Family

Durack is a grandson of Kimberley pioneer Jeremiah Durack, who was an uncle of Michael Patrick Durack (1865 - 1950) [ [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A080410b.htm Durack, Michael Patrick (1865 - 1950)] ] . He is therefore a cousin of authors Mary and Elizabeth Durack.

ee also

*List of longest-serving members of the Australian Senate

References