Summary heading
Hon Peter Francis Salmon COOK
Career within Commonwealth
Peter
Frances Salmon Cook was born in Melbourne on 8 November 1943, the son of Frank
and Maureen Cook. He attended Nailsworth Technical
High School and later graduated from the University of Western Australia.
Cook
was first elected as a Senator for Western Australia in 1983, and remained so
until he retired on 30 June 2005. In that time he held numerous portfolios and
represented many parliamentary committees, conferences and delegations
overseas.
His
first ministerial position was as the Minister for Resources in the Hawke
Ministry. He held this position from 19 January 1988 until 4 April 1990, when
he then became Minister for Industrial Relations, and the Minister Assisting
the Prime Minister for Public Service Matters. Cook continued to hold both of
these positions in the Keating Ministry until 24 March 1993. He was also the
Minister for Shipping and Aviation Support for the period from 27 May 1992 to
24 March 1993.
He
was the Minister for Trade from 24 March 1993 until 30 January 1994. Cook then
became Minister for Industry, Technology and Regional Development until 25
March 1994 when the portfolio was renamed and he became the Minister for
Industry, Science and Technology. Cook also became the Minister Assisting the
Prime Minister for Science from 25 March 1994 and held both of these positions
until the Keating Government’s defeat on 11 March 1996.
Cook
was Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 1997 to 2001; Shadow
Minister for Commerce and Small Business from 1996 to 1997; Shadow Minister for
Trade from 1997 to 2001; and the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader
of the Opposition from 2003 to2005.
While
in Opposition, he was also involved with various high profile Senate Committees
and Inquiries, covering issues including the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement;
a new tax system (the GST); a certain maritime incident (the Tampa crisis or
children overboard affair); services and treatment options for persons with
cancer; and security threats to Australians in South East Asia.
He
retired from Parliament on the expiration of his Senate term on 30 June 2005.
Sources
Parliamentary Handbook
On-line, Current Members of the Senate (1998), http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/senators/homepages/web/sb-RF4.htm,
accessed 18 Dec 1998.
De Micheli, Catherine (ed.). Who’s Who in Australia 2005. Crown Content:
North Melbourne, 2005, p.462.
Australian Parliament House - Senate
completed committee inquires http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/completed_inquiries/index.htm
accessed 6 May 2008
Summary heading
Unregistered links
1970-2005 : Australian Labor Party, State Executive
(WA) – Member
1975-1985 : State
Industrial Relations Committee - Convener
1975 :
Executive of the Australian Council of Trade Unions - Member
1976-1983 :
Trades and Labor Council (WA) – Secretary
1981-1983 :
Australian Council of Trade Unions – Junior Vice-President
1997-2001 :
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
2004 :
Senate Select Committee Inquiring into AUSFTA – Chairman
2004-2005 :
Curtin University of Technology - Adjunct Professor