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About Peter Kavanagh

SUMMARY

Occupation: Member of the Parliament of Victoria.

Party: Democratic Labor Party.
 
House: Legislative Council - the 'upper house'.
 
Electorate: Western Victoria.

Current Committees: Select Committee on Gaming Licensing since 2007. Select Committee on Public Land Development since 2007.

Parliamentary Service: Elected MLC for Western Victoria November 2006.

Birthplace: Australia

Education and Qualifications: St Joseph's College HSC 1976. BA & LLB 1983 (The University of Melbourne). DipEd 1986 (MCAE). BLitt 1987 (The University of Melbourne). Post graduate Diploma, Asian Studies 1994 (The University of Melbourne). Masters, Asian Studies 1997 (The University of Melbourne).

Previous Occupations: Teacher 1986-92, 1997-2006. Legal practitioner, Victorian Bar 1993-94. Lecturer 1994-96.

Interests: Asian cultures, Asian languages and history, law, international relations

FURTHER INFORMATION

Peter Kavanagh was born in Melbourne in 1959. A 48-year-old teacher from Essendon, in Melbourne’s West, he grew up in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne. He has had a life-long interest in politics, inspired by his family’s contribution over generations. He is the grandson of Bill Barry, first leader of what became known as the Democratic Labor Party.

Peter completed secondary school at St. Joseph’s College, North Melbourne 1976. He has among the most extensive academic record of any graduate of the University of Melbourne, and an extremely broad background in formal and informal studies relevant to policy development. He has Degrees in Law, Arts and Letters, a Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Studies and Master’s Degree in Asian Studies and has completed a Diploma in Education.

He has studied languages at Beijing Language Institute (now Beijing University of Language and Culture), the Nanjing National Normal University, the Mandarin Training Centre in Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Institute in Tokyo, and Scuola Leonardo Da Vinci in Rome.

Peter has a particular interest in East Asia and speaks three East Asian languages (Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian/Malay). He has traveled Australia and much of the rest of the world, especially East Asia, over the last twenty-five years.

Peter studied Law at the University of Melbourne, was admitted to practice by the High Court of Australia in 1992, and was a practitioner at the Victorian Bar in 1993 and 1994. He then lectured in Australian Law at tertiary level in Malaysia for almost two years.

Has traveled to approximately thirty-five countries, including all the ASEAN countries. Has spent approximately two years in China, including Taiwan.

His main academic and personal interests are:

• Australian law
• Chinese and Indonesian law
• Asian cultures
• Japanese law, especially the Japanese Constitution
• politics and history, especially the politics of our near neighbours
• languages (Mandarin, Japanese, and Indonesian)
• foreign investment
• economic development.

Political beliefs and values

Peter

• believes that the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of Victoria exist primarily to serve the interests of their citizens.
• reveres the best of Australia’s traditions, history and extraordinary achievements but acknowledges our need to continually build on our heritage and strive to do even better.
• accepts that although a functioning legal system is essential to a civilised society, the law is a limited instrument for social progress. The law has an important role in deterring the worst actions but cannot make people kind, generous, brave or honest.
• recognises the important role of non-governmental institutions such as families and Churches in developing individual virtue, and, thereby, the quality of all society.
• believes that the State is strongly obliged to provide for those who are unable to provide for themselves but in doing so it must avoid deterring the production of the wealth on which prosperity depends.
• cherishes the Western tradition of individual liberties, free debate and tolerance for opposing views.
• is concerned that Australian society is losing many of the values, traditions and even some of the cultural traits on which our quality of life and prosperity depends.
• values the family and considers that, where possible, the interests of children are best served by being nurtured by two caring, if imperfect, parents.

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