Peter Nixon

Peter James Nixon AO (born 22 March 1928) is a former Australian politician and businessman. He served in the House of Representatives from 1961 to 1983, representing the Division of Gippsland as a member of the National Country Party (NCP). He held ministerial office as Minister for the Interior (1967–1971), Shipping and Transport (1971–1972), Postmaster-General (1975), Transport (1975–1979), and Primary Industry (1979–1983).[1]

The Honourable Peter Nixon AO
Minister for Primary Industry
In office 27 September 1979 – 11 March 1983
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Ian Sinclair
Succeeded by	John Kerin
Minister for Shipping and Transport
In office 11 November 1975 – 8 December 1979
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Charles Jones
Succeeded by	Ralph Hunt
In office 5 February 1971 – 5 December 1972
Prime Minister	John Gorton William McMahon
Preceded by	Charles Jones
Succeeded by	Ralph Hunt
Postmaster-General
In office 11 November 1975 – 22 December 1975
Prime Minister	Malcolm Fraser
Preceded by	Reg Bishop
Succeeded by	Victor Garland
Minister for the Interior
In office 16 October 1967 – 5 February 1971
Prime Minister	Harold Holt John McEwen John Gorton
Preceded by	Doug Anthony
Succeeded by	Ralph Hunt
Member of the Australian Parliament for Gippsland
In office 9 December 1961 – 4 February 1983
Preceded by	George Bowden
Succeeded by	Peter McGauran
Personal details
Born	22 March 1928 Orbost, Victoria
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Country / NCP
Spouse(s)	Sally Dahlsen ​ (m. 1954⁠–⁠2013)​
Children	Joanne, Mark & Christopher
Education	Wesley College, Melbourne
Occupation	Grazier, company director

Nixon is the earliest elected Country MP still alive,[2] and along with Ian Sinclair he is one of the last two surviving ministers who served under Holt and McEwen, as well as in the First Gorton Ministry.

Early life

Nixon grew up on a farming property outside Orbost, Victoria. He was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne. At the age of 18 he sustained a severe injury to his left hip while playing Australian rules football, requiring him to spend eight months in hospital. He passed the time by reading and playing chess.[3] Following his recovery Nixon took up farming, the fourth generation of his family to farm in Gippsland.[4] He had a 500-acre (200 ha) property named Macclesfield, where he grew seed beans and maize. He later switched to mixed farming, growing lucerne and keeping dairy cattle.[5] In 1952 he married Jacqueline "Sally" Dahlsen, with whom he had three children.[6]

Politics

Nixon was elected to parliament at the 1961 federal election, following the resignation of George Bowden, the incumbent Country Party MP in Gippsland. He had initially not been a candidate for preselection, agreeing to stand only when the presumed nominee suffered a fatal heart attack three days before nominations closed.[3]

Nixon quickly became a senior member of the Country Party and first entered the ministry as Minister for the Interior in October 1967 before moving to the Shipping and Transport portfolio in 1971 under John Gorton. He retained this portfolio under William McMahon. He is mentioned in the song Gurindji Blues, saying "Buy your land back, Gurindji" referring to his assessment of the Wattie Creek land rights strike.[7]

In opposition from 1972 to 1975, Nixon was a prominent figure in persuading his National Party colleagues to help pass Australian Labor Party legislation opposed by the Nationals' coalition partner, the Liberal Party. This helped prove to voters the National Party's independence from the Liberal Party and in cases such as when the Nationals supported Labor's policy on educational grants to public schools, helped to show the National Party's connection with core voter issues. Nixon was also a longtime critic of what he saw as bias by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation against the National Party.

Following the Coalition victory in 1975, Nixon served as Minister for Transport until 1979 and then Minister for Primary Industry, both in Malcolm Fraser's government.

On the floor of parliament, Nixon was known for trading insults with opposition members and particularly his verbal stoushes with Fred Daly.

Later life

Following his retirement from politics in 1983, Nixon returned to the business world, including spending seven years from 1984 as a commissioner of the Australian Football League (AFL). In 1996, he was chosen to chair a joint Commonwealth-State inquiry into the Tasmanian economy. The report became known as the Nixon Report: Tasmania into the 21st Century.Trustee of MCC 86–91. Freeman City of Jakarta, Athens.Chief Commissioner East Gippsland Shire 95–97

Honours

On 26 January 1993 Nixon was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his service to the Australian parliament and to the community.[8]

References

1. "Parliamentary Handbook: Historical Information on the Australian Parliament". Archived from the original on 17 November 2007. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
2. Malcolm Farnsworth (2020). "Living Former Members Of The House Of Representatives (1949–1972)".
3. "'Tough' Minister thrives on deep policy issues". The Canberra Times. 10 July 1968.
4. "The new 'Mayor'". The Canberra Times. 17 October 1967.
5. "New 'mayoress' a country girl at heart". The Canberra Times. 19 October 1967.
6. "Choral service for wedding". The Herald. 27 July 1954.
7. http://www.civicsandcitizenship.edu.au/verve/_resources/handout5.doc
8. "It's an Honour: AO". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2008.