Peter Cleeland

Peter Robert Cleeland (31 May 1938 – 16 September 2007), Australian politician, was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the electorate of McEwen in Victoria between 1984 and 1990, and subsequently between 1993 and 1996.

Cleeland was raised in the Melbourne suburb of Preston, earning a trade as a fitter and turner before joining the Victorian Police Force from 1961 to 1969. [cite journal
title=Auspol
date=2003
issue=3
url =http://www.afpa.org.au/get/402.pdf
accessdate = 2007-09-25 p23 ] While a police officer, he studied and graduated in Law at Monash University. He worked as a solicitor for a number of years, eventually establishing his own practice. He was elected as a local councilor for the Central Ward in the Shire of Diamond Valley from 1978 to 1985 and was Shire President from 1982 to 1983.cite web
title =Biography for Cleeland, Peter Robert
publisher =Parliament of Australia
work=ParlInfo Web
url =http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;db=;group=;holdingType=;id=;orderBy=customrank;page=0;query=Peter%20Cleeland;querytype=;rec=4;resCount=Default
accessdate = 2007-09-25 ]

In 1982 Cleeland unsuccessfully stood for election in the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Doncaster. He achieved Labor Party preselection for the newly formed federal House of Representatives seat of McEwen, which he won in 1984. [cite web
title =1984-Victoria
work=House of Representative Results by State
publisher =University of Melbourne
url =http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/~blair/elections/vic84.html
accessdate = 2007-09-25 ] Cleeland won the subsequent election in 1987, [cite web
title =1987-Victoria
work=House of Representative Results by State
publisher =University of Melbourne
url =http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/~blair/elections/vic87.html
accessdate = 2007-09-25 ] before losing the seat to Liberal candidate Fran Bailey in the 1990 general election. [cite web
title =1990-Victoria
work=House of Representative Results by State
publisher =University of Melbourne
url =http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/~blair/elections/vic90.html
accessdate = 2007-09-25 ] He stood once again in 1993 [cite web
title =1993-Victoria
work=House of Representative Results by State
publisher =University of Melbourne
url =http://www.earthsci.unimelb.edu.au/~blair/elections/vic93.html
accessdate = 2007-09-25 ] and won the seat back, serving for a further 3 years before once again losing the seat to Bailey in the 1996 election, when the Keating Labor government was swept from power by John Howard.

Cleeland served as Chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority between 1987 and 1990, producing during that time the much cited report "Drugs, Crime and Society". The report recommended harm minimisation rather than criminalisation as a technique for managing illicit drug use. [cite web
title =Drugs, Crime and Society
publisher =Parliament of Australia
work=Report by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority
url =http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/acc_ctte/completed_inquiries/pre1996/dcs89/report/report.pdf
date=1989
accessdate = 2007-09-25 ]

Cleeland died on 16 September 2007 from motor neurone disease. [cite web
title =Community servant dies
publisher =Diamond Valley Leader
url =http://www.diamondvalleyleader.com.au/article/2007/09/26/22742_dvv_news.html
date=2007-09-26
accessdate = 2007-11-25 ]

References

Persondata
NAME=Cleeland, Peter Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Australian politician
DATE OF BIRTH=31 May 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH=Preston, Victoria, Australia
DATE OF DEATH=16 September 2007
PLACE OF DEATH=Melbourne, Victoria, Australia