Peter Kavanagh (politician)

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Peter Damian Kavanagh (born 1959) is a former Australian politician, teacher, barrister and legal academic, who served as a member of the Victorian Legislative Council representing the Democratic Labor Party (DLP).

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Early years

Kavanagh was born into a family with a long connection with the DLP. His maternal grandfather, Bill Barry was a key player in the Australian Labor Party split that saw the creation of the original Democratic Labor Party – a party from which the current DLP has descended although is legally separate – to the extent the party was informally dubbed "Barry Labor" in its infancy. [1] [2]

Education

Before entering parliament, Kavanagh attained, as he stated in 2010, "a lot of non-scientific academic credentials"; including Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Letters and Master of Arts (Asian Studies) degrees from the University of Melbourne, and a Diploma of Education from the Mitchell College of Advanced Education. He has worked as a barrister, law lecturer and teacher. [3] [4]

Political career

At the 2006 Victorian election Kavanagh stood as the DLP's lead candidate in the newly formed Western Victoria Region, which elects five members via proportional representation. Despite winning only 2.6% of the vote, Kavanagh was able to win the final seat due to receiving preferences from both of the major parties. [5]

Kavanagh maintained he was attempting to use his share of the balance of power constructively, in particular encouraging the Government and Opposition to work towards and achieve agreement on some legislation. [6]

Kavanagh led opposition within the Parliament to the decriminalisation of abortion under the Crimes Act in Victoria. In Parliament, Kavanagh proposed amendments to the Abortion Bill 2008 (including a requirement for pain relief for the fetus) which would have mitigated the legislation. In 2008 at the legislative council, he also made an impassioned three and a half-hour speech against the Abortion Bill. In 2007, Kavanagh expressed a willingness to consider gay civil unions in Victoria "providing there is a special status retained for marriage". [7] [8]

Kavanagh was defeated at the Victorian state elections held on 29 November 2010. [9] The DLP was again unrepresented in the Victorian parliament until the 2014 election when Rachel Carling-Jenkins won a Legislative Council seat for the DLP. [10]

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References

  1. ↑ Ainsley Symons (2012), 'Democratic Labor Party members in the Victorian Parliament of 1955–1958,' in Recorder (Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, Melbourne Branch) No. 275, November, Pages 4–5.
  2. ↑ PETER KAVANAGH: DLP MLC for Western Victoria: Maiden Speech and Media Commentary
  3. ↑ Carbone, Suzanne (7 September 2010). "Music to the ears". The Sydney Morning Herald - 8 September 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2013. He (Peter Kavanagh) lapped up Melbourne Opera's arias in Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the Athenaeum, watching his old teaching colleague Michael Reed, a tenor in the chorus.
  4. ↑ "Peter Kavanagh – Interview Transcript Interview conducted by Jaya Chela Drolma Transcribed by Rosemarie Zalec September 2010" (PDF). Sapphire Eyes Productions. 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2023. [00:00:33] Peter: My name's Peter Kavanagh. I'm a DLP, Democratic Labour Party member for Western Victoria in the Victorian Parliament. I don't have scientific credentials, I have a lot of non-scientific academic credentials but not scientific ones. [00:00:49] Jaya: Great. Well welcome. (Laugh)
  5. ↑ Fyfe, M. (20 June 2010). "State DLP on brink of collapse" . Retrieved 31 December 2024. Many thought the party was dead until Mr Kavanagh was elected for the Western Victoria region in 2006 on the back of Labor preferences (he had only 2.6 per cent of the vote)....
  6. ↑ Fyfe, Melissa (24 August 2008). "New order in the house". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
  7. ↑ "Peter Kavanagh – led opposition within the Parliament to the decriminalisation of abortion under the Crimes Act in Victoria". Hope Media Ltd. 12 October 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2024. Peter Kavanagh – led opposition within the Parliament to the decriminalisation of abortion under the Crimes Act in Victoria...
  8. ↑ "Same sex and the city". The Age. Melbourne. 20 February 2007.
  9. ↑ "2010 State election results". VEC. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Meet Victoria's Upper House crossbenchers". ABC. 9 February 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2023. The election of Rachel Carling-Jenkins sees the party return to the Victorian Parliament after former DLP member Peter Kavanagh was elected in 2006, before losing his Upper House seat in 2010.
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