In 1994,Debnam was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly,winning a by-election for the safe Liberal seat of Vaucluse. The following year the Liberal government was defeated by Labor under Bob Carr. Between 1997 and 2005 Debnam was successively Shadow Minister for Housing and for Planning and Urban Affairs,Shadow Treasurer,Shadow Minister for Transport,Shadow Minister for Police and Shadow Minister for Transport Services.[2]
Following John Brogden's sudden resignation as Liberal Leader in August 2005,the Deputy Leader,Barry O'Farrell,was initially the favourite to become leader,but Debnam steadily gained ground as he lobbied Liberal MPs,and on 31 August O'Farrell withdrew from the contest.
Allegations against Attorney-General
On 16 November 2006,Debnam suggested under Parliamentary Privilege that NSW Attorney-General Bob Debus was under investigation by the Police Integrity Commission. In response,the Government released a police report stating that a minister had been the subject of complaints (not an investigation),and that they were dismissed in 2003 as spurious and groundless. The report did not name the minister concerned as it was,deemed to be 'not in the public interest'.[3] When Mr Debnam declined to provide evidence to support his claims,he was censured by Parliament for misleading the House.[4]
It was subsequently reported that Debnam's source for the accusation was a convicted child sex offender and bank robber with a history of making unsubstantiated allegations.[5] Opinion poll support for the Opposition leader declined markedly in the wake of the allegations,[6] which also distracted attention from a campaign against the Government over the sacking of Ministers Milton Orkopoulos and Carl Scully.
Peter Debnam led the Liberal/National coalition to defeat in the 2007 state election. The Coalition gained a total of four seats from Labor and independents—too few to significantly reduce Labor's majority. Following the election, his deputy, O'Farrell, announced he would challenge Debnam for the Liberal leadership. When it was apparent that Debnam did not have enough support to keep his post, he withdrew from the contest on 2 April 2007, effectively handing the leadership to O'Farrell. On 11 April 2007 O'Farrell appointed Debnam as opposition infrastructure and energy spokesman.[7] He resigned in May 2008 because of his party's decision to support the Labor Government's plan to privatise the electricity system.[8]
Marr, David (2 September 2006). "Interview with Peter Debnam". "Debnam's not drowning, he's waving", The Sydney Morning Herald. p.25. Retrieved 2 September 2006.
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