Elected to Parliament as the Member for Vaucluse in 1994, Peter has also served as NSW Liberal Leader and has held the shadow portfolios of the Treasury, Redfern Waterloo, Police, Transport, Planning, Housing, Small Business and Consumer Affairs. After serving in Shadow Cabinet since 1997, Peter was unanimously elected to the leadership of the NSW Parliamentary Liberal Party in August 2005 and served in that role until April 2007.

Born in 1954, Peter’s early life took him to Broken Hill, Dulwich Hill, Terrey Hills and Wollongong. Peter's parents, John and Betty, now live on the north coast of New South Wales.

After completing the HSC, Peter joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1972, attending the Royal Australian Naval College.

He served on many ships including the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne, destroyer escort HMAS Torrens, destroyers HMAS Vampire and HMAS Anzac and patrol boats HMAS Attack and HMAS Barricade.

Upon leaving the Navy in 1980, Peter worked in the aerospace industry for Hawker de Havilland Pty Ltd and Australian Aircraft Consortium Pty Ltd in various management roles.

Between 1986 and 1994, Peter worked for Dalgety Farmers Ltd and in 1993 completed a MBA at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management.

Peter’s long-held interest in politics culminated with him joining the Liberal Party in 1986 and progressing through many positions in the party organisation.

One of Peter’s escapes from the hustle and bustle of political life is an early morning swim at Bondi Beach with his wife Deborah.

Parliamentary Service

Party Activity 

Senior positions at Branch, Conference level including: Chairman, Liberal Joint Standing Committee on State Policy 1996-98; Parliamentary Representative, Liberal Party State Executive 1995-99. 1995-98: Parliamentary Representative, Redistribution Committee; Opposition Representative, Anzac Memorial Trust; 1995-97: Member, Archives Authority; Chairman, Opposition Treasury Committee; Member, Opposition Treasury Committee; Member, Opposition Arts Committee; 1991-94: President, Vaucluse Conference; Treasurer, Waverley Municipal Conference; 1991: Secretary, Vaucluse Conference; 1988-93: President, Bellevue Hill Branch of the Liberal Party.

Community Activity

Member of the Bondi and Districts Chamber of Commerce; and the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce. Associate Member of the Sydney Institute and the Centre for Independent Studies. Member, Rose Bay RSL Club, and Member of the Royal Motor Yacht Club. Member of the Hakoah Club. Honorary Vice-President, North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club; Honorary Member, Eastern Suburbs Cricket Club.

It's a Partnership

by Deborah Debnam

Tuesday, 11 April 2006 

People often ask me 'Who’d be a politician’s wife?’  Having to watch the person you care about most in the world under attack each day by lies and constant media scrutiny – well it certainly has its challenges.

I can’t answer for anyone else but for me and the Peter I know, it comes down to the fact we believe marriage is an equal partnership. If you really mean this then you share each others vision and support each other 100%, whatever the day or years may bring. It’s not unlike the partnership that I see and admire in John and Janette Howard. Peter really enjoys his job and we both get immense satisfaction from the challenges of political life.

The Labor Party have had a lot to say about Peter in their attempts to discredit him. But the Peter I know is not intimidated by Labor or anyone else for that matter. Unlike some of the lies you may have heard about Peter, here are some things I know for a fact.

The only privilege Peter Debnam was born with was a close and loving family.

Peter is the proud son of an air force veteran who served in PNG. Like many returned servicemen, Peter’s father worked in many places around the state, with Peter growing up everywhere from Broken Hill to the Illawarra and suburban Sydney.

There were 5 kids (2 sisters and 2 brothers, Peter was the 2^nd eldest) and the family developed a strong and loving bond through their travels. This closeness remains to this day, and I think it's fair to say with Peter the one they turn to, as they face the challenges of life that confront most families.

Peter has also ensured that in our own family, including my own children and our 2 grandsons, we have been able to share this same affection. For 25 years, his strong values and loving commitment to family life have been a mainstay for all of us.

I know that everything that has come to Peter in life, whether in the Navy, business or politics, has been the product of his own hard work. And even under the most enormous pressure he never loses his sense of humour (he just makes me laugh which was one of the first things that attracted me to him). 

But it is Peter’s determination that has always impressed me most. He has consistently defied those who say it can’t be done, just like some are saying now. It is these values that people talk to me about most as they meet Peter in our travels around the State. It is why I know Peter would make a great Premier.

But there is also the side to Peter that many don’t see. In politics we have the privilege to meet many people from all walks of life. And just like on this tour, we get to hear their stories and the challenges they face and this is where those families see Peter’s determination to help those who feel helpless against overwhelming bureaucracy.

One of the mothers we met from Bega Shire had a son who was severely disabled caused by an accident when he was a child. The mother, together with the local community, had raised funds to build a new facility to care for her son (now in his twenties) and others like him. The State Government had refused to fund the provision of services in this brand new community funded facility. It broke their heart and ours, as she showed us around the new empty building she had helped to build.

What am I hearing on tour with Peter? Time and again I’m hearing people who are feeling frustrated and helpless and ignored by this State Government. I’m hearing people who are frightened by violence around them, who have to fight and fight to exhaustion against a faceless bureaucracy just to get just some respite from the relentless demands of caring for a disabled loved one.  And I hear all the time things like the woman who came up to me in a shopping centre in the Central Coast this week “keep going love, we need Peter, we need someone to stand up to this arrogant government.”

What am I learning on this tour? It's confirming again just how warm and courteous and genuine most Australians are. It's almost un-Australian NOT to give politicians a hard time. But when you meet people face to face and listen to their concerns and hope to be given the opportunity to make a real difference to their lives, like the mum we met in Bega, you start to understand why people like Peter are so dedicated to what they do.

I share Peter’s passion for the job ahead. Time and again people and families keep telling us how fed up they are and how much they want change in this State.