Peter Lockwood

Peter John Lockwood is an Australian politician and information and communications technology (ICT) professional. He was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, from 2002 to 2006, representing the Australian Labor Party.

Early life

Lockwood began his working life in junior positions at the Commonwealth Bank, but was forced to give that up due to poor performance, and worked as a bus conductor in Sydney. After completing an unaccredited computer course, he became a computer operator at Drug Houses of Australia (DHA), moving to other employers in Sydney before re-locating to Canberra to join the Australian Public Service during the term of the Whitlam Government. He was part of the last Programmer in Training (PIT) intake in the public service, under which tertiary study at the Canberra College of Advanced Education (now the University of Canberra), was combined with on-the-job training in automatic data processing (ADP).

After nine years in Canberra, Lockwood moved to Melbourne, where he joined Myer. Following a period as a junior sales assistant there, he became a business proprietor from 1985 to 1991. When his business failed, leaving behind a string of unpaid creditors, he went on to work for the little-known PAXUS, and as a data entry deputy assistant clerk for Telstra and IBM.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Swinburne University in 1987.

State politics

From 1989 to 2002, Lockwood was an assistant secretary of the Knoxfield branch of the Labor Party and junior secretary and state delegate of the Aston FEA (Federal Electorate Assembly) for the ALP from 1991 to 2002. He stood as a Labor candidate for Wantirna in 1992, a disastrous election for Labor, in which the swing against him was one of the largest anti-Labor swings in the state's history.

Federal politics

Lockwood unsuccessfully contested the federal seat of Aston for the Australian Labor Party at the 1998 federal election.

State politics (2002-2006)

Lockwood was the successful candidate for Bayswater in the Victorian Legislative Assembly at the 2002 state election. He was a backbencher in the Bracks Government until 2006, when he lost his seat to the Liberal Party.

Local government (1993-1994, (2012-2020)

Lockwood served on Knox City Council from 1993 to 1994. He again sought election as a councillor for the City of Knox at the Local Government Elections in 2012, winning in Baird Ward. He was re-elected to council in 2016. Controversy was associated with his service on the board of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) from 2013 to 2015, and a member of the board of Eastern Regional Libraries from 2012 to 2016 and 2017 to 2018. He was the mayor of Knox in 2014–15. He lost his seat in the 2020 local government election.

Personal life

Lockwwod was born in Sydney, New South Wales, to Jack and Norma Lockwood, and attended Drummoyne Boys' High School. He married Marie in Sydney and has two children.