Peter Staples

Peter Staples (born 15 October 1947 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian former politician for the Australian Labor Party. He was first elected to Parliament in 1983 as the Member for Diamond Valley. When Diamond Valley was abolished in 1984, Staples transferred to the newly created Jagajaga, essentially the western half of his old electorate. In 1987, he was appointed Consumer Affairs Minister by Prime Minister Bob Hawke in his third ministry. Staples would remain a junior minister for nearly six years, serving as Minister for Housing and Aged Care and later Aged, Family and Health Services in the Hawke and Keating Ministries.

The Honourable Peter Staples
Member of the Australian Parliament for Diamond Valley
In office 5 March 1983 – 1 December 1984
Preceded by	Neil Brown
Succeeded by	Division abolished
Member of the Australian Parliament for Jagajaga
In office 1 December 1984 – 29 January 1996
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Jenny Macklin
Personal details
Born	(1947-10-15) 15 October 1947 Melbourne
Nationality	Australian
Political party	Australian Labor Party

Staples lost his spot in the ministry to Frank Walker after the party's victory at the 1993 election. He spent the remainder of his career on the backbench until his retirement from politics in 1996, as stated in his documentary, The Dance of a Thousand Summer.[1]

References

1. "Parliamentary Warriors No More", Sun Herald, 1996-03-03

Political offices
Preceded by Lionel Bowen (Attorney-General)	Minister for Consumer Affairs 1987–88	Succeeded by Nick Bolkus
Preceded by Peter Morris	Minister for Housing and Aged Care 1988–90	Succeeded by Brian Howe
New title	Aged, Family and Health Services 1990–93	Position abolished
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Neil Brown	Member for Diamond Valley 1983–84	Division abolished
New division	Member for Jagajaga 1984–96	Succeeded by Jenny Macklin