Peter Abetz was born on 17 December 1952 and is an Australian former politician who was a Liberal member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2017, representing Southern River.
17 Facts About Peter Abetz
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Peter Abetz's parents migrated to Tasmania from Germany in 1961.
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Abetz's younger brother, Eric Abetz has represented the state of Tasmania in the Australian Senate since 1994, serving as a minister in the Howard and Abbott governments.
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Peter Abetz is the great-nephew of convicted Nazi war criminal, SS-Brigadefuhrer Otto Peter Abetz, Nazi German ambassador to Vichy France from 1940 to 1944.
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Peter Abetz is related on his mother's side to German field marshal Erwin Rommel.
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Peter Abetz attended Moonah and Blackmans Bay State Schools, completed his high schooling at Taroona High School and matriculated in one year at Hobart Matriculation College in 1969.
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Peter Abetz holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree from the University of Tasmania and a Bachelor of Divinity from the Reformed Theological College in Geelong.
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Peter Abetz is married to Jenny and has five adult children.
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In 1974, Peter Abetz worked as a farm advisory officer in the Tasmanian Department of Agriculture based in Huonville, before running a small statewide rural supplies business.
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Peter Abetz served congregations in Dandenong, Victoria, Willetton, Western Australia and North Beach, Western Australia.
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Peter Abetz ran as a candidate for the Labor-held Legislative Assembly seat of Southern River in the 2008 Western Australian state election.
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In November 2009 Peter Abetz supported legislation to give police the power to search individuals for illicit weapons or drugs, without suspicion or belief that a crime had been committed.
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Peter Abetz referenced Adolf Hitler's rise to power as an example of people's preference for security, later saying "When it comes to the crunch, people prefer to be safe than to have freedom,".
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Premier of Western Australia Colin Barnett said that Peter Abetz was making a valid point.
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Peter Abetz was elected as a Councillor for the City of Gosnells in 2017, and became Deputy Mayor of the City in 2019.
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In 2018, Peter Abetz was appointed as the WA State Director for the Australian Christian Lobby.
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Peter Abetz raised concerns regarding surrogacy and specifically the deprivation for children of a mother or father.