Peter Francis Cox AO (4 December 1925 – 6 October 2008) was a politician in New South Wales, Australia.

Early life

Cox was born in

Bathurst, New South Wales Bathurst () is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Bathurst is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) west-northwest of Sydney and is the seat of the Bathurst Regional Council. Bathurst is the oldest inland settlement in ...

, and educated at Marist Brothers College in the Sydney suburb of

Lidcombe Lidcombe is a suburb in western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lidcombe is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Cumberland Council, with a small industrial part in the north ...

. His father, Edwin, was a plumber with the NSW railways.

Ben Chifley Joseph Benedict Chifley (; 22 September 1885 – 13 June 1951) was an Australian politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1945, follow ...

, the future prime minister, helped the Cox family. After leaving school, Peter became a public servant, working for the Department of Motor Transport in 1942. From 1943 until 1945 he was a member of the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

and served in the

Borneo campaign The Borneo campaign or Second Battle of Borneo was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area during World War II to liberate Japanese-held British Borneo and Dutch Borneo. Designated collectively as Operation Oboe, ...

Political career

In 1949 Cox joined the Labor Party. He won preselection for the New South Wales state seat of

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

at 39 and entered the Legislative Assembly at the 1965 election, when Labor, then led by

Jack Renshaw John Brophy Renshaw AC (8 August 190928 July 1987) was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of New South Wales from 30 April 1964 to 13 May 1965. He was the first New South Wales Premier born in the 20th century. Early life Jack Re ...

, lost power. He retained the seat until his retirement in 1988. Cox became the opposition transport spokesman in 1968 and was noted for his catchphrases such as the "rustbucket railway" and "Calga deathway", referring to the Calga expressway. He unsuccessfully stood for the Deputy Leadership of Labor. Once Labor was returned to office in May 1976, the new Premier

Neville Wran Neville Kenneth Wran, (11 October 1926 – 20 April 2014) was an Australian politician who was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 to 1986. He was the national president of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1980 to 1986 and chairman of ...

appointed Cox

Minister for Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government ag ...

and Minister for Highways, with Cox ranking fourth in terms of cabinet seniority. He retained the transport portfolio, topping the caucus vote for ministerial positions saw him rise to third in seniority in 1980. In a cabinet reshuffle in 1984, Cox heard from the media that he had been demoted to 13th in the cabinet, as Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy. He went on to serve as Minister for Industry and Small Business and Minister for Public Works. He did not contest the 1988 election.

Personal life and death

Cox married Olive May Murphy on 11 September 1965 and they would have five children. After his retirement he worked with the Maryfield Recovery Centre in Campbelltown and was a Director of St Joseph’s Hospital, Auburn. Cox died in Mona Vale on , survived by Olive and their five children.

Honours

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) in 1988 "in recognition of service to the NSW parliament". He was also made a Knight of St. Gregory.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Peter Francis 1925 births 2008 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Officers of the Order of Australia Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales 20th-century Australian politicians Australian Army personnel of World War II