Peter Kavanagh (Australian politician)
Encyclopedia
Peter Kavanagh Australia
n politician, is a former member of the Victorian Legislative Council
representing the Democratic Labor Party
(DLP).
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.
Before entering parliament
, Kavanagh attained a Bachelor of Arts
and a Bachelor of Laws
as well as a Diploma in Education, a Graduate Diploma in Asian Studies and a Master's degree
in Asian studies at the University of Melbourne
. He has worked as both a teacher
and as a lawyer
.
Peter Kavanagh has travelled extensively within Australia and around the world, especially in East Asia
. He has spent a total of more than two years in China and formally studied in Taipei
, Nanjing
, Beijing
, Tokyo
and Rome
. He lectured in a college in Malaysia between 1994 and 1996. Kavanagh has working fluency in written and spoken Mandarin Chinese and retains some abilities in Japanese
, Indonesian
and Malay
.
At the 2006 Victorian election
Kavanagh stood as the DLP's lead candidate in the newly formed Western Victorian Region, which elects five members via proportional representation. Despite winning only 2.5% of the vote, Kavanagh was able to win the final seat due to receiving preferences from both of the major parties.
After his victory, Kavanagh was described by both the media and by some politicians as a "right-wing nutter", most notably by The Greens'
successful candidate for Northern Metropolitan Region, Greg Barber
. Kavanagh dismissed this assertion, saying that "The DLP remains the only political party in Australia which is pro-family, pro-life and genuinely pro-worker". Barber later demonstrated a change of opinion about Peter Kavanagh with comments such as one recorded in Hansard of debate on 14 April 2010. With no hint of irony or sarcasm, Mr Barber said, "As always the wisdom of Mr Kavanagh knows no bounds...".>
In Parliament, Peter Kavanagh has attempted to use his share of the balance of power constructively. He has successfully encouraged the Government and Opposition to work towards and achieve agreement on some legislation.
Kavanagh led opposition within the Parliament to the decriminalisation of abortion under the Crimes Act in Victoria. In opposing the Abortion Bill 2008 Kavanagh also sent a photograph to other MPs of American Samuel Armas who, after being operated on while still in the womb, reached from inside his mother's body and grasped the surgeon's finger, in a gesture that looks like an expression of gratitude. Sending this photo prompted a storm of abuse and vitriol from some other MPs. In Parliament Kavanagh also proposed amendments to the Abortion Bill 2008 (including a requirement for pain relief for the fetus) which would have mitigated the legislation. He also made an impassioned three and a half hour speech against the Abortion Bill (Victoria, Legislative Council (2008) Debates, 9 October, p. 4093.) which earned him extraordinarily enthusiastic, loud and sustained applause from the public gallery. His proposed amendments were all rejected however and the Bill was passed unamended by 23 to 17 votes.
Surprising many, Kavanagh has also expressed a willingness to consider gay civil unions in Victoria "providing there is a special status retained for marriage".
Kavanagh was defeated at the Victorian state elections held on 29 November 2010. The DLP is again unrepresented in the Victorian parliament.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician, is a former member of the Victorian Legislative Council
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
representing the Democratic Labor Party
Democratic Labor Party
The Democratic Labor Party is a political party in Australia that espouses social conservatism and opposes neo-liberalism. The first "DLP" Senator in decades, party vice-president John Madigan was elected to the Australian Senate with 2.3 percent of the primary vote in Victoria at the 2010 federal...
(DLP).
Kavanagh was born into a family with a long connection with the DLP. His maternal grandfather, Bill Barry
William Barry (Australian politician)
William Peter Barry was a Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Electoral district of Carlton from July 1932 until April 1955...
was a key player in the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
split that saw the creation of the original Democratic Labor Party
Democratic Labor Party (historical)
The Democratic Labor Party was an Australian political party that existed from 1955 until 1978.-History:The DLP was formed as a result of a split in the Australian Labor Party that began in 1954. The split was between the party's national leadership, under the then party leader Dr H.V...
- 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.
Before entering parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
, Kavanagh attained a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and a Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
as well as a Diploma in Education, a Graduate Diploma in Asian Studies and a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Asian studies at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
. He has worked as both a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
.
Peter Kavanagh has travelled extensively within Australia and around the world, especially in East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
. He has spent a total of more than two years in China and formally studied in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He lectured in a college in Malaysia between 1994 and 1996. Kavanagh has working fluency in written and spoken Mandarin Chinese and retains some abilities in Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
and Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
.
At the 2006 Victorian election
Victorian state election, 2006
An election for the 56th Parliament of Victoria took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. Just over 3 million Victorians registered to vote elected 88 members to the Legislative Assembly and, for the first time, 40 members to the Legislative Council under a proportional representation system...
Kavanagh stood as the DLP's lead candidate in the newly formed Western Victorian Region, which elects five members via proportional representation. Despite winning only 2.5% of the vote, Kavanagh was able to win the final seat due to receiving preferences from both of the major parties.
After his victory, Kavanagh was described by both the media and by some politicians as a "right-wing nutter", most notably by The Greens'
Victorian Greens
Australian Greens Victoria, also called the Victorian Greens, is a Green Party located in Victoria, a member of the federation of the Australian Greens party.- Early Years :...
successful candidate for Northern Metropolitan Region, Greg Barber
Greg Barber
Greg Barber is an Australian politician, and Greens member of the Victorian Legislative Council.-Early career:Barber obtained a Masters in Business Administration from the Melbourne Business School and was a successful investor....
. Kavanagh dismissed this assertion, saying that "The DLP remains the only political party in Australia which is pro-family, pro-life and genuinely pro-worker". Barber later demonstrated a change of opinion about Peter Kavanagh with comments such as one recorded in Hansard of debate on 14 April 2010. With no hint of irony or sarcasm, Mr Barber said, "As always the wisdom of Mr Kavanagh knows no bounds...".>
In Parliament, Peter Kavanagh has attempted to use his share of the balance of power constructively. He has successfully encouraged the Government and Opposition to work towards and achieve agreement on some legislation.
Kavanagh led opposition within the Parliament to the decriminalisation of abortion under the Crimes Act in Victoria. In opposing the Abortion Bill 2008 Kavanagh also sent a photograph to other MPs of American Samuel Armas who, after being operated on while still in the womb, reached from inside his mother's body and grasped the surgeon's finger, in a gesture that looks like an expression of gratitude. Sending this photo prompted a storm of abuse and vitriol from some other MPs. In Parliament Kavanagh also proposed amendments to the Abortion Bill 2008 (including a requirement for pain relief for the fetus) which would have mitigated the legislation. He also made an impassioned three and a half hour speech against the Abortion Bill (Victoria, Legislative Council (2008) Debates, 9 October, p. 4093.) which earned him extraordinarily enthusiastic, loud and sustained applause from the public gallery. His proposed amendments were all rejected however and the Bill was passed unamended by 23 to 17 votes.
Surprising many, Kavanagh has also expressed a willingness to consider gay civil unions in Victoria "providing there is a special status retained for marriage".
Kavanagh was defeated at the Victorian state elections held on 29 November 2010. The DLP is again unrepresented in the Victorian parliament.