By Tony Wright
Petro Georgiou, among the last of the tough-minded small “l” Liberals and a man known among many as the “conscience of the Liberal Party”, has died aged 77.
He spent his parliamentary career, from 1994 to 2010, sitting on the backbench, becoming famous for standing up to Liberal prime minister John Howard on human rights.
He refused an early offer to join Howard’s frontbench, making it clear he put a higher value on exercising his freedom to oppose the party’s hardline policies, particularly towards asylum seekers.
Petro Georgiou, former member for Kooyong.Credit: Fairfax Archives
As member for the blue ribbon Melbourne electorate of Kooyong – famously the seat of his old political hero, Liberal Party founder Sir Robert Menzies, and now held by a teal – Georgiou was a voice for diversity and considered a champion of Indigenous Australians, underdogs and outsiders.
In mid-2006, Georgiou joined fellow Liberals of the time Russell Broadbent and Judi Moylan to cross the floor and vote against Howard’s legislation that would force all asylum seekers to be processed offshore.
He regularly annoyed many on the hard right of the party. His stand on asylum seekers prompted a Victorian colleague of the time, Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella, to call him a “political terrorist”.
Late political editor of The Age, Michael Gordon, reported that the criticism did not bother Georgiou. “As he told one confidant, barbs only hurt if you have respect for the person delivering them,” Gordon wrote in 2008.
Georgiou’s standing among moderates and Victorian Liberal lights was evident at a dinner in 2008 to mark the announcement of his impending retirement.
Among the guests were former prime minister Malcolm Fraser, Victorian Liberal leader of the time Ted Baillieu, former federal Liberal president Tony Staley and federal MP Russell Broadbent, another “small l” liberal who has since quit the party to serve as an independent.
Georgiou was born in Corfu, Greece, the eldest of four children, and arrived in Melbourne with his family in 1951.
Educated at Melbourne University, he started his career as a senior tutor in politics at La Trobe University.
He became a leading advocate for multiculturalism while working as an adviser to Fraser in the late 1970s.
He helped establish the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) and was the inaugural director of the Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs. He later became an adviser to two Liberal opposition leaders, Andrew Peacock and John Hewson.
Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Georgiou was “a proud Australian of Greek ancestry, a man of principle, and a person whose astute policy mind was respected across the parliament”.
“Petro was someone who uttered his beliefs with conviction, even when his views didn’t align with his party’s positions or policies....Petro’s own success story is one which speaks to Australia’s broader migration success story. He will be dearly missed by his wide circle of friends and so many communities that benefited from his advocacy, goodwill and support.”
Former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who won the seat of Kooyong after Georgiou left parliament, said on Friday that Georgiou was “widely respected for his integrity, intelligence and commitment to the local community”.
“Petro was a proud servant of the Liberal Party, having served as [Victorian] state director, where he played a lead role in helping the Liberal Party under Jeff Kennett to come to office in 1992,” Frydenberg said.
“He combined the skills of an effective political strategist with deep policy insights and an unwavering commitment to liberal values.”
Georgiou is survived by his partner Roxanne, children Dino and Alexia, and three grandchildren.
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