Peter Robson
Peter Robson studied Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), attaining his Chemical Engineering Degree in 1964. Twenty years later he completed a Masters degree in Commerce, graduating with Honours from UNSW.
Peter’s long and distinguished career in Australian industry started in the glass industry. He was an engineer in Australian and Asian manufacturing firms at both operational and senior executive levels. However, after meeting the then leader of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), Bob Hawke, Peter joined the Australian Trade Union movement and in a career turn-around quickly rose to become the National Secretary for the Community and Public Sector Union, Australia's largest union at the time. Between 1978 and 1995 Peter held many senior positions with the ACTU including being President, Asia-Pacific Executive of the Public Sector Unions.
Peter has held a number of executive and Chair positions within key industry and advisory bodies from the 1970s to the present day, including with the Australian Manufacturing Council; the Ministerial Committee reviewing the Textile, Clothing and Footwear Industry Assistance Scheme; the National Procurement Board; the Jackson Committee (which advised Cabinet on manufacturing industries); the Australian Industry Development Corporation Ltd; the Industry Research and Development Board; CEA Technologies Pty Ltd; the Turnkey Group and the NSW Wine Industry Advisory Board.[1]
Executive Committee Members (1982-2019)
Evatt Foundation Executive Committee Members (1982-2019) Penelope Seidler, Justice Gerard Brennan, Justice Phil Evatt, Senator Doug McClelland, Alan Renouf, Jack Dusseldorp, Kim Williams, Jim Falk, Robin Gurr, the Hon. Andrew Refshauge, Bill Leslie, Tom Kelly, Charles Wright (Public Officer), Kerry Schott, Race Mathews, Leslie Fallick, Anna Booth, Chris Christodoulou, the Hon. Bob Debus, David Haynes, Stephen Mills, Senator Graham Maguire, Suzanne Jamieson, Tom McDonald, Victoria Rubensohn, John Langmore (Public Officer), Peter Robson, Wendy Caird, Senator George Campbell, Jenny Macklin MP, Pat Staunton, Jeannette McHugh, the Hon. Brian Howe, Sandra Moait, Sharan Burrow, Doug Cameron, Professor Roy Green, Professor Stuart MacIntyre, the Hon. Carmel Tebbutt, Julie Crane, Chris Gambian, Joanne Smith, Sue Tracy, Roberta Ryan, Richard Gartrell, Rae Cooper, Tony Moore, Professor Frank Stilwell, Rowanne Couch, Christopher Sheil, Tom Morton, Warwick McDonald, Mark McGrath, Fay Gervasoni, the Hon. Penny Sharpe, Mel Gatfield, Sian Ryan, Baden Kirgan, Geoff Derrick, Joanne Morris, Monika Wheeler, Barney Lewer, Anna York, the Hon. Peter Primrose, Rebecca Santos, Andrew Mack, Alison Rahill, Michael Vaughan, Erin Watt, Huw Phillips, the Hon. Sally Talbot, Eamon Waterford, Matt McGirr, Matt Pulford, Professor Danielle Celermajer, Clara Edwards, Eliot Olivier, Cecilia Anthony, Tina Zhou, Elly Howse, Evan Hughes, and Nicole D'Souza.[2]
Vice-Presidents (1982-2019)
Evatt Foundation VPs, Professor Manning Clark (1979-1991), the Hon Neville Wran, the Hon. Justice Elizabeth Evatt, Michael Easson, Faith Bandler, Terry Higgins, Professor Ted Wheelwright, Professor Jim Hagan, Professor Sol Encel, the Hon. Joan Kirner, Peter Robson, the Hon. Brian Howe, Sandra Moait, Tom McDonald, Ann Catling, the Hon. Ron Dyer, Adam Kerslake, Rae Cooper, the Hon. Penny Sharpe, the Hon. Peter Primrose, Professor Frank Stilwell, and the Hon. John Graham.[3]
Health Public Meeting
Broadside Weekly sponsors
Sponsors of the the Broadside Weekly listed in issue number 3, June 17, 1992, page 15 included Peter Robson.
Broad Left Conference initiators
The original initiative for the The Broad Left Conference came from a group of 11 in Sydney who in August 1985 sent a letter asking over 300 people to publically sponsor the conference.
The 11 initiators were George Campbell, Pat Clancy, Peter Robson, Barbara Murphy, Meredith Burgmann, Brian Aarons, Ken McLeod, Ted Wheelwright and Nando Lelli.[4]
"STATEMENT REGARDING ABORIGINAL LAND RIGHTS"
In April 1986 several hundred attendees of The Broad Left Conference in Melbourne signed an add in the National Times "STATEMENT REGARDING ABORIGINAL LAND RIGHTS".
Signatories included Peter Robson.
Draft Statement for the Broad Left Conference
The Broad Left Conference Draft Statement was written by George Campbell, Peter Robson, Barbara Murphy, Meredith Burgmann, Patrick Lee, Brian Aarons, Ken McLeod, Fay Campbell, Ted Wheelwright, Nando Lelli, Pat Clancy, and "endorsed by 300 plus sponsors from around the country."[5]
Broad Left Conference panel
Speakers at The Broad Left Conference The Accord session were:
The Broad Left Conference
The Communist Party of Australia, Association for Communist Unity and others organized The Broad Left Conference, which was held 1986 28th-31st March, at the NEW SOUTH WALES INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Broadway, Sydney.
Peter Robson was among the list of sponsors.
Pro-Accord
Militant Left Leaders who saw in the Accord a chance to effect major social transformation (L to R: Peter Robson, Nat. Sec. CPSU; Tom McDonald, Nat. Sec. Building Workers Industrial Union of Australia; Dick Scott, Nat. Pres. AMWU; Laurie Carmichael, Ass. Sec ACTU; and Jack Cambourn, National Secretary of the Federated Engine Drivers' & Firemens' Association of Australasia.[6]