Suave Liberal leader failed to make PM but excelled as foreign affairs minister

If any politician looked certain to become prime minister of Australia, it was Andrew Peacock. At 27 he was gifted Kooyong, the former seat of Sir Robert Menzies, Australia’s longest-serving PM. He became foreign minister in his 30s, then leader of the Liberal Party not once, but twice. Yet both times the party was in opposition and the top job remained beyond his reach.

Given Peacock’s seemingly effortless rise, good looks and glamour, and a well-publicised affair with

Hollywood star

Shirley MacLaine, he was the brunt of many a barbed comment from his

Labor Party opponents. These ranged from ‘‘the sun lamp kid’’ to minister Paul Keating’s putdown on Peacock’s return as leader of the Liberal Party: ‘‘Can a souffle rise twice?’’

Yet the assertion that he was a political lightweight was unfair, as Peacock had been one of the most effective foreign ministers in modern Australian history. He was not only responsible for preparing the way for the peaceful transition to independence in Papua New Guinea, but made a principled stand against the United Nations’ recognition of the ousted Pol Pot regime in Cambodia, and was instrumental in offering a safe haven for Vietnam’s boat people. He was an opponent of apartheid and favoured same-sex marriages and lowering the voting age.

Peacock, who has died aged 82, rarely held grudges for long and was widely liked on both sides of the House. There were some mishaps, including a secretly recorded carphone conversation with another politician in 1987, strewn with expletives about then Liberal leader John Howard, which prompted his resignation from the shadow cabinet.

Later, Howard forgave him, and his final public appointment in 1997 was as Australian ambassador to Washington, a post he excelled in, given his personal friendships across the political spectrum. He not only had a close relationship with George Bush Sr but also with Senator Edward Kennedy.

An insouciant character, Peacock claimed not to be bothered by his failure to become prime minister. A bigger regret, he said, was owning a horse that came second in the Melbourne Cup, despite being favourite to win. ‘‘I can tell you there is no more distressing, depressing moment. Whatever the tribulation in life may be, nothing is quintessentially as bad as that. It was 1974, and I still feel p...ed off about it.’’

An equally galling consequence of his enthusiasm for the racetrack was that it led to his first wife, Susan, meeting and marrying racehorse owner Robert Sangster. By way of consolation, Peacock had his lengthy relationship with MacLaine, who later commented: ‘‘I thought as long as he is minister for foreign affairs, I might as well give him one that he’ll never forget.’’

MacLaine noted that he was the first man she had met who had a Gucci toothbrush, to which Peacock quipped that perhaps he was the only politician she had dated who still had his own teeth.

Andrew Sharp Peacock was born in Melbourne. His interest in politics started early, joining the Liberal Party at 16, becoming leader of the Young Liberals at 23, and president of the Liberal Party of Victoria at 26. After Menzies’ retirement in 1966, Peacock was selected for his safe seat, which he held comfortably for the next 28 years.

His first governmental role was minister for the army in 1969. Peacock made a good impression to the public at large but appreciated that his immaculate suits and vanity were an electoral liability. He sought the advice of a close aide about how to improve his performance during Question Time. The aide suggested one thing he could do was avoid continuously patting his hair.

His next appointment was minister for territories, where he excelled in building a rapport with leading New Guinea politicians. He remains the most respected Australian politician there, and was awarded its highest honour, a Grand Companion of Logohu.

When Malcolm Fraser became prime minister in 1975, he made Peacock foreign minister, where he came into his own in forging relationships with regional leaders.

He first became leader of the opposition in

1983, but failed to oust Labor’s Bob Hawke at the 1984 election, and was replaced in 1985 by John Howard. After Howard lost the 1987 election, Peacock was again elected leader.

He married firstly Susan Rossiter in 1963, with whom he had three children; secondly Margaret Ingram in 1983; and lastly Penne Percy Korth, a prominent Texas Republican. The couple retired to Texas, where they were close friends of the Bush family.

His gambling instincts remained sharp. Just before Donald Trump’s success in the

2016 Republican primaries, he placed a large bet at 16-1 on him winning the presidential election. However, he was never an ardent supporter, and in one of his last interviews said he was disquieted by Trump’s performance. He lamented the disappearance of moderates from the Republican Party and the general polarisation of US politics.

He probably felt the same about politics in Australia, but was too loyal to his party to voice such views. –

‘‘I thought as long as he is minister for foreign affairs, I might as well give him one that he’ll never forget.’’

Shirley MacLaine on Andrew Peacock