William Peter Coleman (15 December 1928 – 31 March 2019) was an Australian writer and politician. A widely published journalist for over 60 years, he was editor of '' The Bulletin'' (1964–1967) and of '' Quadrant'' for 20 years, and published 16 books on political, biographical and cultural subjects. While still working as an editor and journalist he had a short but distinguished political career as a Member of the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

from 1968–1978 for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, serving both as a Minister in the State Cabinet and in the final year as Leader of the New South Wales Opposition. From 1981–1987 he was the member for

Wentworth Wentworth may refer to: People * Wentworth (surname) * Judith Blunt-Lytton, 16th Baroness Wentworth (1873–1957), Lady Wentworth, notable Arabian horse breeder * S. Wentworth Horton (1885–1960), New York state senator * Wentworth Miller (born 1 ...

in the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...

Early life

Coleman was born in Melbourne, the son of Stanley Charles Coleman, an advertising agent, and Norma Victoria Tiernan. Moving to Sydney, he was educated at

North Sydney Boys High School North Sydney Boys High School (abbreviated as NSBHS) is a government-funded, single-sex, academically selective secondary day school for boys, located at Crows Nest, on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In 2022, Nor ...

and at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

under philosophers

John Anderson John Anderson may refer to: Business *John Anderson (Scottish businessman) (1747–1820), Scottish merchant and founder of Fermoy, Ireland * John Byers Anderson (1817–1897), American educator, military officer and railroad executive, mentor of ...

and

John Passmore John Passmore AC (9 September 1914 – 25 July 2004) was an Australian philosopher. Life John Passmore was born on 9 September 1914 in Manly, Sydney, where he grew up. He was educated at Sydney Boys High School.Sydney High School Old Boys ...

. Fellow students included the philosophers David Armstrong and

David Stove David Charles Stove (15 September 1927 – 2 June 1994) was an Australian philosopher. Philosophy His work in philosophy of science included criticisms of David Hume's Inductive scepticism. He offered a positive response to the problem of ...

. Coleman then travelled to the United Kingdom to study political philosophy at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

under

Michael Oakeshott Michael Joseph Oakeshott FBA (; 11 December 1901 – 19 December 1990) was an English philosopher and political theorist who wrote about philosophy of history, philosophy of religion, aesthetics, philosophy of education, and philosophy of law.F ...

, completing a thesis on the French philosopher

Georges Sorel Georges Eugène Sorel (; ; 2 November 1847 – 29 August 1922) was a French social thinker, political theorist, historian, and later journalist. He has inspired theories and movements grouped under the name of Sorelianism. His social and p ...

. He graduated as Master of Science (Economics) in 1952. On 5 April 1952 he married the writer and librarian, Verna Scott. Together they had two daughters, Tanya, who became a lawyer and later wife of Deputy Liberal Leader

Peter Costello Peter Howard Costello (born 14 August 1957) is an Australian businessman, lawyer and former politician who served as the treasurer of Australia in government of John Howard from 1996 to 2007. He is the longest-serving treasurer in Australia' ...

, Ursula, a children's writer, and a son William, who is an economist. After teaching English for a year in the

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, Coleman returned to Australia to undertake a career as a journalist. In 1958 he became associate editor of ''The Observer'', a fortnightly magazine founded in 1958 and published by

Australian Consolidated Press Are Media is an Australian media company that was formed after the 2020 purchase of the assets of Bauer Media Australia, which had in turn acquired the assets of Pacific Magazines, AP Magazines and Australian Consolidated Press during the 201 ...

. Other staff members included the editor

Donald Horne Donald Richmond Horne (26 December 1921 – 8 September 2005) was an Australian journalist, writer, social critic, and academic who became one of Australia's best known public intellectuals, from the 1960s until his death. Horne was a prol ...

and financial editor

Michael Baume Michael Ehrenfried Baume AO (born 6 July 1930) is an Australian former Liberal Party politician who represented the Division of Macarthur in the House of Representatives and the state of New South Wales in the Senate. He left politics in 1996 ...

. In 1961 it was absorbed by the legendary but ailing political and literary magazine '' The Bulletin'' and Coleman subsequently became editor of ''The Bulletin'' between 1964 and 1967. In these years he published his first books ''Australian Civilization'', a symposium which brought together writers and critics ranging from

Manning Clark Charles Manning Hope Clark, (3 March 1915 – 23 May 1991) was an Australian historian and the author of the best-known general history of Australia, his six-volume ''A History of Australia'', published between 1962 and 1987. He has been descri ...

and Max Harris to

James McAuley James Phillip McAuley (12 October 1917 – 15 October 1976) was an Australian academic, poet, journalist, Australian literature, literary critic and a prominent convert to Roman Catholicism. He was involved in the Ern Malley poetry hoax. Life ...

and

Vincent Buckley Vincent Thomas Buckley (8 July 1925 – 12 November 1988) was an Australian poet, teacher, editor, essayist and critic. Life Buckley was born in 1925 in Romsey, Victoria to Patrick Buckley, a carter and sometime farm labourer, and his wife Fr ...

; ''Obscenity Blasphemy Sedition'', a study of the first 100 years of

censorship in Australia Although Australia is considered to have, in general, both freedom of speech and a free and independent media, certain subject-matter is subject to various forms of government censorship. These include matters of national security, judicial non ...

; the anthology ''The Bulletin Book''; and ''Cartoons of Australian History'', with cartoonist

Les Tanner Les Tanner (15 June 1927 – 23 July 2001) was an Australian cartoonist and journalist. Life Les Tanner was born in Redfern, Sydney. He began drawing at the age of five, at went to school at Glebe Primary School and North Newtown Intermedi ...

. When Coleman resigned from ''The Bulletin'' in 1967 he became editor of '' Quadrant'' magazine, a position he held for twenty years.

Political life

In 1968 Coleman was elected the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member for Fuller, a marginal seat taking in

North Ryde North Ryde is a suburb located in the Northern Sydney region of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Ryde is located 15 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City ...

Gladesville Gladesville is a suburb in the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gladesville is located 10 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde a ...

and

Hunters Hill Hunters Hill is a suburb of the lower north shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Hunters Hill is located north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area ...

, in the

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Legislative Assembly, defeating the Labor Member

Frank Downing Francis George (Frank) Downing (7 March 1907 – 22 December 1978) was an Australian politician and an ALP member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1953 until 1968. . Downing was born in Tumut, New South Wales and was the s ...

. Originally serving on the backbench, Coleman gained experience through his appointment as a member of the Australian Council for the Arts from 1968 to 1973, a councillor of the

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...

from 1970 to 1985, and as Chairman of the Interim Council of the

National Film & Television School The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is a film, television and games school established in 1971 and based at Beaconsfield Studios in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England. It is featured in the 2021 ranking by ''The Hollywood Repor ...

from 1971 to 1973. In 1974, Coleman became the Chairman of the Select Committee into Appointment of Judges to the High Court, which examined different judicial appointment methods prior to the 1977 Federal Referendum. Coleman was then further promoted in June 1975 as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Tom Lewis, in which capacity he served only five months until his promotion to Cabinet. He was made a Minister of the Crown in October 1975 as the Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Revenue. When Sir Eric Willis became Premier, Coleman was appointed to the revived office of Chief Secretary from January 1976. He served in Cabinet until the defeat of the Willis government in the May 1976 election, at which he retained his seat on a slightly increased margin of 52%. In opposition under Eric Willis, Coleman served as the Shadow Minister for Justice and Services. On 15 December 1977 four party MPs declared that they would oppose Willis in a leadership ballot the next day. On 16 December 1977, Willis resigned and Coleman was elected as the leader by the party. At the 1978 election, Coleman and the Coalition campaigned on a platform based around the spectre of " Whitlamism" and attempted to undermine the strong central leadership of Wran. This failed to resonate with voters, and the election, which was later termed the "Wranslide", saw a massive defeat for the Opposition Coalition. Coleman himself lost his seat of Fuller to Hunter's Hill Municipal Council Alderman,

Rodney Cavalier Rodney Mark Cavalier (born 11 October 1948) is a former Australian politician, statutory officer and author. Cavalier was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Fuller between 1978 and 1981 and then Gladesville betwe ...

, a result that had been anticipated by some. In September 1979, Coleman was appointed as Administrator of

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

. Following the resignation of

Robert Ellicott Robert James Ellicott, (15 April 1927 – 31 October 2022) was an Australian barrister, politician and judge. He served as Solicitor-General of Australia (1969–1973) before entering the House of Representatives at the 1974 federal election ...

, he gained Liberal Party pre-selection for the

federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

seat of

and was elected in a by-election in April 1981. He retired from parliament before the 1987 election and resumed his literary career.

Post-politics

On leaving politics, Coleman resumed his career as a full-time writer, publishing widely both journalism and books, including a major history of the intellectuals and the Cold War, ''The Liberal Conspiracy. The

Congress for Cultural Freedom The Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF) was an anti-communist advocacy group founded in 1950. At its height, the CCF was active in thirty-five countries. In 1966 it was revealed that the CIA was instrumental in the establishment and funding of the ...

and the Struggle for the Mind of Postwar Europe'' and biographical works on the Australian poet

, comic artist

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film prod ...

, film director

Bruce Beresford Bruce Beresford (; born 16 August 1940) is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally and internationally in the United States. Beresford's notable films he has directed include ''Br ...

and economist

Heinz Arndt Heinz Wolfgang Arndt (26 February 1915 – 6 May 2002) was a German-born Australian economist. Biography Heinz Wolfgang Arndt was born in Breslau, Germany, in 1915, the eldest son of Fritz Georg Arndt (1885–1969) and Julia (née Heimann). A ...

. He also published a selection of poetry, a cookbook and a collection of his ''Quadrant'' essays, ''The Last Intellectuals''. In 2008 Coleman assisted his son-in-law,

, in writing and editing his account of his career: ''

The Costello Memoirs ''The Costello Memoirs'' is a collection of writings by Australian politician and long-standing treasurer and deputy Liberal leader Peter Costello and co-authored by former New South Wales Liberal Leader and Costello's father-in-law, Peter Colem ...

: The Age of Prosperity.'' During this period he also recorded interviews, held by the

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

as part of the oral history project, with leading Australian figures in journalism, arts, law, economics, philosophy and politics, including Hugh Atkinson,

Garfield Barwick Sir Garfield Edward John Barwick, (22 June 190313 July 1997) was an Australian judge who was the seventh and longest serving Chief Justice of Australia, in office from 1964 to 1981. He had earlier been a Liberal Party politician, serving as a ...

Jim Carlton James Joseph Carlton (13 May 193524 December 2015) was an Australian businessman, politician, and humanitarian. Early life Carlton was born in Sydney and earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney. Early career Carlton’s ...

, Madge Eddy, Charles Higham,

Kenneth Jacobs Sir Kenneth Sydney Jacobs KBE QC (5 October 1917 – 24 May 2015) was an Australian judge who served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. Jacobs was born in 1917 in Gordon, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. He was educated at Kno ...

Eugene Kamenka Eugene Kamenka (4 March 1928 – 19 January 1994) was an Australian political philosopher and Marxism, Marxist scholar. Biography Kamenka was born in Cologne in 1928 and migrated to Australia with his parents in 1937. He was educated at the S ...

, Michael Kirby,

Kenneth Minogue Kenneth Robert Minogue (September 11, 1930 – June 28, 2013), also known as Ken Minogue, was an Australian academic and political theorist. Long residing in the United Kingdom, Minogue was a prominent part of the intellectual life of British ...

, Barry Oakley,

Desmond O'Grady Desmond M. O'Grady (11 December 1929 – 26 November 2021) was an Australian journalist, author, and playwright who resided and worked in Rome from 1962. Early life Desmond Michael O’Grady, (b. 11 December 1929) was born in Melbourne, Aus ...

Clyde Packer Robert Clyde Packer (22 July 19358 April 2001), usually known as Clyde Packer, was the son of Australian newspaper magnate Frank Packer and the elder brother of media baron Kerry Packer. From 23 April 1964 to 22 April 1976 he was a Member of ...

, Peter Porter,

Adrian Rawlins Adrian John Rawlins (born 27 March 1958) is an English actor best known for playing Arthur Kidd in '' The Woman in Black'' and James Potter in the ''Harry Potter'' films. In 2019, he starred in ''Chernobyl'' as Nikolai Fomin. Early life Rawli ...

and

Amy Witting Amy Witting (26 January 1918 – 18 September 2001) was the pen name of an Australian novelist and poet born Joan Austral Fraser. She was widely acknowledged as one of Australia's "finest fiction writers, whose work was full of the atmosphere an ...

. He was a regular contributor to the Australian edition of ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' with a weekly column entitled 'Australian Notes' and also contributed to ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' and

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

programs. Coleman died on 31 March 2019.

Honours

In 2001 Coleman was awarded the Centenary Medal. In 2008 he was admitted to the degree of

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

(honoris causa) at the

for services to Australian intellectual life. On 8 June 2015 he was made an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) "for distinguished service to the print media industry as a noted editor, journalist, biographer and author, to the Parliaments of Australia and New South Wales, and to the community".

Bibliography

Books

* Republished (2015)

Connor Court Publishing Connor Court Publishing is an Australian publishing company based in Brisbane, Queensland. The company, founded in September 2005 by Anthony Cappello, publishes all sorts of commercial books – including many biographies, books on politics and i ...

Ballarat * Republished (2000) by

Duffy & Snellgrove Duffy & Snellgrove is a small, independent publishing house founded in Australia in 1996 by journalist Michael Duffy and his wife Alex Snellgrove. Since November 2005, the company has stopped publishing new works, although they continue to publ ...

, Sydney

* Republished (1973) Republished (1978) enlarged edition * * Republished (2006)

* Prefac

* Chapter On

"A bit of Stic

* * * * * ;Books edited * Introductio

* * * * *

Official reports

* *

Essays, interviews, chapters, lectures

* 'An Interview with Peter Coleman' Frank Devine, '' Quadrant'' May 2006 * ‘A Political Formation or No Roads to Damascus' (Cheshire 1963) in ''Australian Politics. A Third Reader'' edited by Henry Mayer and Helen Nelson. * 'Ballade of Lost Phrases: James McAuley' from ''The Last Intellectuals: Essays on Writers and Politics,'' Quadrant Books, 2010

* 'Conservative without a Cause? Andrew Norton Talks with Peter Coleman.' ''Policy'' Autumn 1995. * ‘From Fellow Travelling to Political Correctness' ''Political Correctness in South Africa'' edited by Rainer Erkens and John Kane-Berman.

South African Institute of Race Relations Established in 1929,http://www.sairr.org.za/profile/ the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) is a research and policy organisation in South Africa. The institute is "one of the oldest liberal institutions in the country". The in ...

, 2000. * 'How I wrote 'The Liberal Conspiracy' from ''The Last Intellectuals: Essays on Writers and Politics'', Quadrant Books, 2010

* 'I Thought of Archimedes' from ''The Last Intellectuals: Essays on Writers and Politics'', Quadrant Books, 2010

* ‘Leaves from the Diary of a Madman' in ''Confessions and Memoirs'' edited by Michael Wilding (writer), Michael Wilding and David Myers. Central Queensland University Press, 2006

* ‘Political Cartoonists', 'Political Correctness', 'Political Journalists' * ''The Oxford Companion to Australian Politics'' edited by Brian Galligan and Winsome Roberts,

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2007. * Preface to ''Cricket versus Republicanism and other Essays'' (1995) Quakers Hill Press, 1995. * Preface and 'The Santamaria Story' ''The Bulletin Book. A Selection from the 1960s''

Angus and Robertson Angus & Robertson (A&R) is a major Australian bookseller, publisher and printer. As book publishers, A&R has contributed substantially to the promotion and development of Australian literature.Alison, Jennifer (2001). "Publishers and editors: A ...

, 1963. * 'The Patron State' ''

Bert Kelly Charles Robert "Bert" Kelly CMG (22 June 1912 – 17 January 1997), was an Australian politician and government minister. He was influential in moving Australian political parties away from support for high-tariff policies. Early life Kelly ...

Lecture'', 1995. * 'The Phoney Debate' from ''Australia and the Monarchy: A Symposium'', edited by

Geoffrey Dutton Geoffrey 'Geppie' Piers Henry Dutton AO (2 August 192217 September 1998) was an Australian author and historian. Biography Dutton was born into a prominent pastoralist family of Anlaby Station near Kapunda, South Australia in 1922. His grandfa ...

, Sun Books, Melbourne, 1966. * 'The Sad and Noble Music of Michael Oakeshott' from ''The Last Intellectuals: Essays on Writers and Politics'', Quadrant Books, 201

* 'The Usual Suspects. Quadrant at 50' Martin Krygier. ''

The Monthly ''The Monthly'' is an Australian national magazine of politics, society and the arts, which is published eleven times per year on a monthly basis except the December/January issue. Founded in 2005, it is published by Melbourne property developer ...

'' December 2006.

Critical studies and reviews of Coleman's work

* Robinson, Geoffrey (8 November 2022) "From Georges Sorel to Peter Costello: Peter Coleman and the Making of Australian Liberal Conservatism" Australian Journal of Politics and History 68(3) 447-466 https://doi.org/10.1111/ajph.12803= * Review of ''Double take''.

References

External links

*Peter Coleman on "Radical Students. The Old Left at Sydney University" Alan Barcan. Melbourne University Pres

*"What is Political Correctness" Peter Colema

*"The Devil and James McAuley" review by Peter Coleman, ''Weekend Australian'' 17 July 199

*"James McCauley's 20 Quadrants" paper by Peter Coleman, Sydney University 2002

*"James McCauley: A Poet in Politics" Peter Coleman 1992

*"Ballade of Lost Phrases: James McAuley" from ''The Last Intellectuals: Essays on Writers and Politics,'' Quadrant Books, 2010

*"I Thought of Archimedes" from ''The Last Intellectuals: Essays on Writers and Politics'', Quadrant Books, 2010

*"How I wrote 'The Liberal Conspiracy'" from ''The Last Intellectuals: Essays on Writers and Politics'', Quadrant Books, 2010

*"The Sad and Noble Music of Michael Oakeshott" from ''The Last Intellectuals: Essays on Writers and Politics'', Quadrant Books, 201

*"All That Swagger – Robert Manne's Virtuous Trajectory" Peter Coleman, ''Quadrant'' 2005

*"Leaves from the Diary of a Madman" Peter Coleman 2006

*"The ''Bulletin'', the Editor and ''The Cherry Orchard''", Peter Coleman. ''Voices'', Quarterly Journal of the National Library of Australia, Volume V11, Number 1, Autumn 1997, Pages 88–9

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Peter 1928 births 2019 deaths Administrators of Norfolk Island Alumni of the London School of Economics Australian essayists Australian magazine editors Australian male writers Journalists from Melbourne Leaders of the Opposition in New South Wales Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Male essayists Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Wentworth Members of the Australian House of Representatives Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Officers of the Order of Australia People educated at North Sydney Boys High School Politicians from Melbourne Quadrant (magazine) people The Spectator people University of Sydney alumni 20th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian journalists Politicians from Sydney