Peter Cox | |
---|---|
Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo | |
In office 2014–2015 | |
Preceded by | Barry Lyons |
Succeeded by | Rod Fyffe |
Councillor of the City of Greater Bendigo for Whipstick Ward | |
In office 2012–2016 | |
Councillor of the City of Greater Bendigo for Eaglehawk Ward | |
In office 2008–2012 | |
Preceded by | Elaine Harrington |
Succeeded by | Ward Abolished |
Personal details | |
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Independent |
Peter Cox OAM is an Australian former politician who served as mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo from 2014 to 2015 and as a councillor from 2008 to 2016. [1]
Cox was first elected to the council in 2008,where he served in the Eaglehawk Ward,achieving 32.73% of the primary vote and 58.45% of the two candidate preferred vote,defeating incumbent councillor Elaine Harrington. [2] In the 2012 election,Cox contested the Whipstick Ward after a new three-ward structure was introduced. He was elected with 33.71% of the vote. [3]
Cox was elected as mayor by the council in 2014,succeeding Barry Lyons. [1] He was officially installed as mayor on the night of 11 November,where he chaired a meeting to make a bid for upgrades to Bendigo Airport. [4] Like Lyons,Cox's career as mayor of Bendigo was significantly impacted by the controversy surrounding the approval of the city's first mosque. [5] [6] The proposal,which he supported,faced strong opposition from some community members,leading to protests and public debate. [7] This issue became a focal point of his mayoralty,and the backlash somewhat overshadowed his broader work in local government.[ citation needed ]
In March 2016,Cox was ordered to apologise to two former councillors,after a misconduct finding was made against him. The councillors,Elise Chapman and Helen Leach,claimed that Cox breached conduct guidelines several times in September 2015,during Cox's tenure as mayor. [8] [9] In April,Cox decided against challenging the misconduct finding,instead writing apologies to his two former colleagues. [9]
In 2022,Cox was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to the Bendigo community. [10] [11]
The City of Brimbank is a local government area located within the metropolitan area of Melbourne,Victoria,Australia. It comprises the western suburbs between 10 and 20 km west and northwest from the Melbourne city centre.
The City of Greater Bendigo is a local government area in Victoria,Australia,located in the central part of the state. It covers an area of 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi) and,in August 2021,had a population of 121,470. It includes the city of Bendigo and the towns of Axedale,Elmore,Heathcote,Marong,Raywood and Strathfieldsaye. It was formed in 1994 from the amalgamation of the former City of Bendigo with the Borough of Eaglehawk,Shire of Strathfieldsaye,Shire of Huntly and parts of the Rural City of Marong and Shire of McIvor. It is the state's third largest economy base and is considered a service and infrastructure centre for north central Victoria. The city is surrounded by 40,000 hectares of regional,state and national parkland.
Francis Penhalluriack is an Australian businessman,entrepreneur and local political figure. He is most notable for opening his Caulfield,Victoria,hardware store outside of legislated trading hours in the 1980s. His actions eventually led to a dramatic change in retail trading laws in Victoria,Australia.
The Victorian Greens,officially known as the Australian Greens Victoria,is the Victorian state member party of the Australian Greens,a green political party in Australia.
The Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 is an Act of the Parliament of Victoria,Australia,that makes behaviour that incites or encourages hatred,serious contempt,revulsion or severe ridicule against another person or group of people,because of their race or religion,unlawful in Victoria. The Act was passed during the premiership of Steve Bracks and went into effect on 1 January 2002.
Local government in the Australian state of Victoria consists of 79 local government areas (LGAs). Also referred to as municipalities,Victorian LGAs are classified as cities (34),shires (38),rural cities (6) and boroughs (1). In general,an urban or suburban LGA is called a city and is governed by a City Council,while a rural LGA covering a larger rural area is usually called a shire and is governed by a Shire Council. Local councils have the same administrative functions and similar political structures,regardless of their classification.
The Q Society of Australia Inc. was a far-right,anti-Islam and homophobic organisation that opposed Muslim immigration and the presence of Muslims in Australian society. Q Society described itself as "Australia's leading Islam-critical organisation" and stated that its purpose was to fight against the "Islamisation of Australia". The Q Society was so named because it was founded at a meeting in the Melbourne suburb of Kew in 2010.
The United Patriots Front (UPF) was an Australian far-right extremist group that opposed immigration,multiculturalism and the religion of Islam. Formed in 2015,the group has been largely dormant since their Facebook page was deleted following the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings.
The Victorian Socialists (VS) is an Australian political party based in the state of Victoria. The party's stated aims are "to put politicians on a worker's wage so they live like the rest of us" and "to get socialists into parliament who will fight to make workers richer and billionaires poorer".
Stephen Jolly is an Australian politician,socialist activist,author and construction worker. He currently serves as the mayor of Yarra and has been a councillor of the City of Yarra since 2004,initially representing Langridge Ward before being elected to MacKillop Ward in 2024.
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The 2016 Victorian local elections were held on 22 October 2016 to elect the councils of the 79 local government areas in Victoria,Australia.
Rodney James Fyffe was an Australian politician and teacher. From 2003 to 2016,Fyffe served non-consecutively as the Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo on four occasions. Fyffe served as a Bendigo councillor from 1983 to his death in 2024. He was also a teacher at Bendigo Senior Secondary College from 1979 to 2011.
Andrea Metcalf is an Australian politician who has served as the mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo since 2021 and as a councillor since 2016.
Margaret O'Rourke is an Australian former politician who served as mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo from 2016 to 2020 and as a councillor from 2016 to 2024. In 2024,she was appointed head of the Bendigo campus of La Trobe University.
Jennifer Alden is an Australian former politician and health broker who served as Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo from 2020 to 2021 and as a councillor from 2016 to 2024. She served as Deputy Mayor twice.
Laurence 'Barry' Lyons was an Australian politician who served as mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo from 2013 to 2014,as a councillor of the City of Greater Bendigo from 2008 to 2016,and as a councillor of the Shire of Romsey in the 1970s.
Lisa Ruffell is an Australian politician who has served as mayor of the District Council of Robe since 2023 and as mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo from 2012 until 2013. She has served as a councillor for the District Council of Robe since 2022 and was a councilor for the City of Greater Bendigo from 2008 until 2016.
Alec Sandner is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo from 2011 to 2012 and as president of the Shire of Strathfieldsaye from 1985 to 1986. He served as a councillor of the City of Greater Bendigo from 2008 to 2012 and as a councillor for the Shire of Strathfieldsaye from 1982 to 1987.