The Hon. Peter Edward James COLLINS (1947 - )

Date of Birth: 10/05/1947
Place of Birth: Lismore, New South Wales, Australia

Parliamentary Service

Position	Start	End	Period	Parliament
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly	19 Sep 1981	21 Mar 2003	21yr(s) 6mth(s) 3day(s)
Member for Willoughby	19 Sep 1981	5 Mar 1984	2yr(s) 5mth(s) 16day(s)	47th (1981 - 1984)
Member for Willoughby	24 Mar 1984	22 Feb 1988	3yr(s) 10mth(s) 30day(s)	48th (1984 - 1988)
Member for Middle Harbour	19 Mar 1988	3 May 1991	3yr(s) 1mth(s) 15day(s)	49th (1988 - 1991)
Member for Willoughby	25 May 1991	3 Mar 1995	3yr(s) 9mth(s) 7day(s)	50th (1991 - 1995)
Member for Willoughby	25 Mar 1995	5 Mar 1999	3yr(s) 11mth(s) 9day(s)	51st (1995 - 1999)
Member for Willoughby	27 Mar 1999	21 Mar 2003	3yr(s) 11mth(s) 23day(s)	52nd (1999 - 2003)
Minister for Health and Minister for the Arts	25 Mar 1988	6 Jun 1991	3yr(s) 2mth(s) 13day(s)
Attorney General, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Minister for Arts	6 Jun 1991	24 Jun 1992	1yr(s) 19day(s)
Attorney General, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Minister for Arts	24 Jun 1992	3 Jul 1992	10day(s)
Minister for State Development and Minister for Arts	3 Jul 1992	26 May 1993	10mth(s) 24day(s)
Treasurer and Minister for the Arts	26 May 1993	4 Apr 1995	1yr(s) 10mth(s) 10day(s)
Public Accounts Committee	1 Dec 1983	1 Dec 1984	1yr(s) 1day(s)
Select Committee on Prostitution	1 Dec 1984	1 Dec 1986	2yr(s) 1day(s)
Deputy Leader of the Opposition	14 Feb 1986	22 Feb 1988	2yr(s) 9day(s)
Leader of the Opposition	4 Apr 1995	8 Dec 1998	3yr(s) 8mth(s) 5day(s)
Standing Committee on Public Works	1 Dec 2002	1 Dec 2003	1yr(s) 1day(s)

Political Party Activity

Liberal Party. Deputy Leader 1986 - 1992. Honorary Secretary St Ives Branch 1969 - 71;Political Vice President Killara Young Liberals 1969 - 1970. Honorary Secretary, City of Sydney Special Branch 1969-73. President, Woollahra Branch 1980. Chairman Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee 1980. State Executive since 1984. Leader of the Liberal Party from 4 April 1995 - 7 December 1998. Shadow Minister for Arts 1981 - 1988, 1995 - 1998, 2002. Shadow Special Minister of State 2002. Shadow Minister for Health 1986 - 1988. Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations and Employment 1984 - 1986. Shadow Minister for Planning and Environment 1983 - 1984. Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs 1981 - 1983. Delegate for numerous conferences.

Community Activity

Chairman, Brett Whiteley Foundation 1995 -1998. Patron Alliance Francaise Centenary 1995. Member Balmoral Beach Club 1995 - 2000, Northbridge Amateur Swimming Club; Kooroora Tennis Club; Manly-Warringah Area Scouting Association; Northbridge Golf Club. Founding Governor of the Australian Naval Museum (Nowra), Life member of HMAS Sydney Association. Member of 1st Commando Regiment Association (New South Wales and Victoria), Navy League of Australia, Australia Defence Association, Royal Automobile Club of Victoria, United States Naval Institute. Chairman of St John Ambulance (New South Wales) 2007 - current. Director (non executive) HostPlus Pty Ltd 2006 - current. Board memebr of Workers Compensation Insurance Fund Investment Board (New South Wales) 2005 - current. Board Member of Macquarie Generation 2007 - current. Member, Community Commemorative Panel Defence White Paper, 2008. Member Policy Committee Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees, 2008 - current.

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Lawyer (Barrister - Queen's Counsel). Journalist. B.A., LL.B.(Syd.). Appointed Queens Counsel (QC) 1991. Previously research and public relations manager, Liberal Party of Australia (New South Wales Division). Managing Director Assignment Pty Ltd, media consultants to several major companies (providing media training for senior management). Television journalist ABC-TV researcher, "Four Corners" and "Monday Conference"; reporter, "This Day Tonight". Barrister-at-Law, Edmund Barton Chambers, practising at the New South Wales Bar for 3 years. Chairman of Cancer Institute of New South Wales 2005 - 2008. Honorary Associate, Graduate School of Government, University of Sydney. Chairman, Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (Canberra) 2004 - 2005). Member of Cancer Council of New South Wales 2004 - 2005. Director (Non executive) Moran Health Care Group (2002-2003). Director (non executive), Australian National Maritime Museum Foundation (2001- 2005). Interests include the Arts, particularly contemporary dance, visual arts, film and literature; naval and military history.

Military Service

Army Reserve 1964 - 1969, Lieutenant, Commissioned Sydney University Regiment 1967; qualified Military Parachutist 1969, 1 Commando Company. Naval Reserve 1975 - current; Commissioned Lieutenant. Served Naval Intelligence. Promoted Lieutenant-Comander 1988. Promoted Commander 1994. Honorary Colonel, 1st Commando Regiment, 1995 - 2000, Patron Jaywick (Singapore Raid) Commemoration, 2001- 2003 Author of 'Strike Swiftly', Commando History 2004 - 2005. Acting Fleet Legal Officer (part time), Royal Australian Navy, Maritime Headquarters, Potts Point 2003 and 2004. ADF Team Leader , Law and Order Task Force, Bagdad, Iraq 2007. Director Naval Reserve Support (New South Wales) 2007 - current. Promoted Captain 2009.

Honours Received

Member of the Order of Australia (AM) 2004, Australian Defence Medal, Centenary Medal 2003, Awarded the Reserve Force Decoration (RFD) 1994, Australian Active Service medal (with Iraq clasp) 2007, Iraq Medal 2007, US Joint Medal Commendation Medal 2008

Personal

Eldest son of Ronald and Mavis Collins. Educated at Marist Brothers, Kogarah, St Patrick's Bathurst, and Waverley College 1960 - 1964. University of Sydney (St John's College) 1965 - 1972, BA, LLB. Catholic. Married (1) Jennifer Ruth White in 1973 and had issue, 2 sons. Divorced. Married (2) Dominique Fisher in March 1983 and had issue, 2 sons. Divorced. Married (3) Jennine Leonarder in 2002, 1 stepdaughter.

Additional Information

Editor, 'The Union Recorder', University of Sydney 1971; Editor, 'Blackacre' Sydney University Law School 1972; contributor 'Labor to Power' edited by Henry Mayer 1972Peter Collins, 'The Bear Pit: A Life in Politics', Sydney, Allen & Unwin, 2000, Peter Collins, 'Strike Swiftly', Sydney, Watermark Press. Photographs in the PICMAN Database. Member of the Former Members Association of the New South Wales Parliament.

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