Peter Coleman

(William) Peter Coleman (born 15 December 1928) is an Australian writer/journalist and former politician.Coleman was born in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield and educated at the selective North Sydney Boys High School. He graduated from the University of Sydney with a BA in 1950 and from the London School of Economics with an M Sc in 1952. He married Verna Scott (biographer) in April 1952 and they have two daughters (Tanya, lawyer and wife of Peter Costello, and children's book author Ursula Dubosarsky) and a son (William, economist). He subsequently taught for a year in Sudan.cite web
title =Mr (Peter) (William) Peter Coleman (1928 - )
work =Members of Parliament
publisher =Parliament of New South Wales
url =http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/members.nsf/1fb6ebed995667c2ca256ea100825164/58d8d74bcc77203bca256e2200133af9!OpenDocument
accessdate = 2007-08-21 ]

Writer and Journalist

Coleman was associate editor of Observer (a defunct fortnightly magazine owned by Frank Packer) [cite journal
last =Devine
first =Frank
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =An Interview with Peter Coleman: Quadrant's First Fifty Years
journal =Quadrant
volume =L
issue =5
pages =
date =April 2006
url =http://www.quadrant.org.au/php/article_view.php?article_id=2022
doi =
id =
accessdate = 2007-08-23 ] between 1958 and 1960, editor of the Bulletin between 1964 and 1967 and editor of Quadrant for twenty years between 1967 and 1990. [cite web
title =Biography for Coleman, William Peter
publisher =Parliament of Australia
work=ParlInfo Web
url =http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/view_document.aspx?id=7933&table=BIOGS
accessdate = 2007-08-21 ] Coleman has published many books. The best known are a history of Australian censorship "Obscenity Blasphemy Sedition" (1962);biographies "The Heart of James McAuley" (1980), "The Real Barry Humphries" (1991), and "Bruce Beresford' (1992); a study of the Cold War and the intellectuals "The Liberal Conspiracy. The Congress for Cultural Freedom and the Struggle for the Mind of Postwar Europe" (1989).He published the autobiographical "Memoirs of a Slow Learner" in 1994.He has also edited a number of books of which the best known are "Australian Civilization" (1962) and "Six Incorrect Essays"(1999).

Public life

Coleman was elected as the Liberal member for Fuller in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in February 1968 being returned with increasing majorities at the subsequent three elections.cite web
title =Elections for the District of - Fuller
work =New South Wales Election Results 1856-
publisher =Parliament of New South Wales
url =http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/resources/nswelectionsanalysis/DistrictIndexes/Fuller.htm
accessdate = 2007-08-24 ]

He was Minister for Revenue and Assistant Treasurer from October 1975 to January 1976 and Chief Secretary from January 1976 until the defeat of the Willis government in May 1976. Coleman was the parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party from 16 December 1977 until he lost his seat in the 1978 election.

He was an executive member of the Australian Association for Cultural Freedom from 1967 to 1989; a member of the Australian Council for the Arts from 1968 to 1973, councillor of the National Institute of Dramatic Art from 1970 to 1985, and chairman of the Interim Council of the National Film and Television School from 1971 to 1973.

In September 1979, Coleman was appointed as Administrator of Norfolk Island. Following the resignation of Robert Ellicott, he gained Liberal Party pre-selection for the federal seat of Wentworth and was elected in a by-election in April 1981. He retired from parliament before the 1987 electioncite web
title =Biography for Coleman, William Peter
publisher =Parliament of Australia
work=ParlInfo Web
url =http://parlinfoweb.aph.gov.au/piweb/view_document.aspx?id=7933&table=BIOGS
accessdate = 2007-08-21 ] and resumed his literary career.

Publications

*cite book
last =Coleman
first =Peter
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Obscenity, blasphemy, sedition: censorship in Australia
publisher =Jacaranda Press
date =1974
location =Brisbane
pages =211
url =
doi =
id =
isbn = 1875989722
*cite book
last =Coleman
first =Peter
authorlink =
coauthors =Les Tanner
title =Cartoons of Australian history
publisher =Thomas Nelson
date =1978
location =West Melbourne
pages =
url =
doi =
id =
isbn =0170052753
*cite book
last =Coleman
first =Peter
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =The heart of James McAuley: life and work of the Australian poet
publisher =Wildcat Press
date =1980
location =Sydney
pages =132
url =
doi =
id =
isbn =0 908463 05 7
*cite book
last =Coleman
first =Peter
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Memoirs of a slow learner
publisher =Angus and Robertson
date =1984
location =Pymble
pages =166
url =
doi =
id =
isbn =0207182485
* Coleman Peter, "The Liberal Conspiracy. The Congress for Cultural Freedom and the Struggle for the Mind of Postwar Europe",New York, The Free Press (Macmillan), 1989, 333, ISBN 0-02-906481-3
* Coleman Peter; Costello Peter, " The Costello Memoirs", Melbourne University Press, 2008.

References

Notes

Peter Coleman, "Leaves from the Diary of a Madman", in "Confessions and Memoirs" edited by Michael Wilding & David Myers, Central Queensland University Press 2006; reprinted in "Quadrant" December 2006.

Peter Coleman,"Adventures among the Trendies and Uglies", "Quadrant"January-February 2008.

Peter Coleman, "No Road to Damascus. A Political Formation" in "Quadrant" April 1972, reprinted in "Australian Politics. A Third Reader" edited by Henry Mayer and Helen Nelson, Cheshire(Melbourne) 1973

Persondata
NAME = Coleman, Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Coleman, William Peter
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Australian writer, journalist and politician
DATE OF BIRTH = 15 December 1928
PLACE OF BIRTH = Caulfield, Victoria
DATE OF DEATH =
PLACE OF DEATH =