Georgiou was a voice of principle in politics—he stood firm against Prime Minister John Howard’s harsh asylum seeker policies, defying his party. He believed in a more inclusive Australia and helped make multiculturalism part of our nation’s identity. As senior adviser to Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser (1975–1979), Secretary of the Ethnic Television Review Panel (1979–1980), and Director of the Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs (1980–1985), Georgiou’s work laid the foundations for generations to live in a country where difference is celebrated. He was instrumental in the creation of the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), giving voice to communities too often left unheard.
Eulogy
Father Emmanuel, ladies, gentlemen, and friends: on behalf my sister Alexia, my father’s partner Roxanne and the Georgiou family, thank you all for being here today to celebrate Petro.
Petro and I didn’t often discuss death and funerals, but he once said, “I don’t want to talk about it, just make sure you all give me a big send-off.”
Judging by the turnout, it is Mission Accomplished! Petro would be truly humbled.
Petro was an inspirational figure in our lives.
His is a quintessential Australian story.
He was a migrant, a loving son, brother, partner, father, grand-father, godfather, friend, and inspiring voice for all.
He was a political warrior, responsible for major electoral successes and reforms within the Liberal Party, particularly in his home state of Victoria.
He also changed the face of Australian politics, championing multiculturalism and giving a voice to refugees with determination and integrity.
And he will be missed by each of us, most of all by his family who idolised and were devoted to him.
From Corfu to Kooyong
When I was gathering my thoughts for the eulogy, it occurred that a fitting title would be “From Corfu to Kooyong”, because Greece is where Petro’s story started.
He was born in Corfu in 1947 and came to Australia in 1951 with his mother Anastasia, a homemaker, and his father Constandino known as “George”, a storeman at General Motors Holden – whose name I proudly share.
It is hard to believe now that anyone would want to leave Corfu, a cosmopolitan island on the Ionian Sea with a unique combination of Greek and Italian culture that has become a holiday favourite.
But back then, Corfu had suffered immensely, enduring the Italian and German occupations of World War II, followed by the cruelty of the Greek Civil War. Growing up I remember my nana Anastasia – a petite but incredibly formidable woman and the matriarch of our family – telling stories of Nazi jackboots marching up and down the cobblestone streets below our family home, a Venetian apartment on the edge of old Corfu town.
So, against the background of a war-ravaged and economically depressed Greece, the Georgiou’s set sail for the New World, arriving in Port Melbourne by ferry when Petro was just four years old.
As with many migrants, times were tough and money was tight, but the Georgiou’s have always been close-knit and stick together.
The family home, an old Victorian in Mayston Street, Hawthorn, was a happy one.
Petro was doted on by his parents, and in time, his beloved brother Matthew and sisters Athina and Joanne.
Unfortunately, Matthew passed away a long time ago, but Athina and Joanne are with us today, as are their families.
High School, university and academic career
Petro was an exceptional student, gaining selection to Melbourne High School in 1962.
In a sliding doors moment, he recounted a story where he was pursuing George around the streets of Melbourne to prevail on him for some money to pay the Melbourne High entry fee, which was due that day or his spot would be forfeited.
George, who was short of cash, was conspicuously avoiding him, but Petro said that in a miraculous, biblical-style intervention, a gust of wind blew a 50-pound note to his feet out of nowhere, and the day was saved.
That was fortunate, because attending Melbourne High was a turning point in Petro’s life.
Presciently dubbed the “Greek Volcano” by his peers and teachers because of his short temper and sharp tongue, Petro excelled in Year 12, receiving Honours in British and Modern History, Social Studies, and Economics along with a Commonwealth Scholarship and the prestigious Senior Scholarship.
His academic achievements should not surprise anyone, but what may shock people is that Petro was also a noted athlete who played half back for the Melbourne High First 18 and competed in the 100 and 220 yards.
He even played some games for the Hawthorn Under 19s before an opponent ran through him, giving him a corky the size of a watermelon and forcing him into early retirement … and I’m sure his later association with cigarettes and good scotch!
At Melbourne University Petro studied Politics and met important influences like his lecturer Tony Staley and his tutor, Colin Rubinstein who would also become his lifetime friend. At also met my mother Elizabeth, whom he later married and gave birth to myself and Alexia.
Jo Swarc, Petro’s oldest friend who is also here today, attended both Melbourne High and Melbourne University with Petro and was best man at the wedding.
Jo reminded me that the three of them were inseparable and that Petro and Liz even ended up buying the Swarc family home at 624 Rathdowne Street, North Carlton, from Jo’s mother, Malka.
Like Petro, Jo was a dedicated scholar, and they studied together like monks.
My mother, Liz, told me of an occasion where pre-exam nerves got the better of Jo. Always a devoted friend, Petro got wind of it and dashed off to Jo’s house to personally escort him to the exam hall at the Exhibition Buildings in Carlton. There was a happy ending, with Jo topping the year for the subject!
After completing his studies at Melbourne University with first class honours, Petro became a Senior Tutor in Politics at Latrobe University in 1970.
The Fraser years and multiculturalism
Federal politics first beckoned to Petro in 1973 when his old mentor Tony Staley, then a member of the House of Representatives, encouraged him to interview for the role of Senior Adviser to then Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser.
According to Petro, the interview did not go well. He was convinced he didn’t get the job because he disagreed with Malcolm on a range of issues and predictably told him so, bluntly.
Ironically, the opposite was true with Malcolm saying that he liked him precisely because he spoke his mind and argued with him. Petro was hired that same day.
Petro was on the floor of the House of Representatives advising Fraser during the Dismissal and even delivered some of the Khemlani papers to Canberra as the Coalition blocked supply. He played a key part in the landslide Fraser election wins in 1975 and 1977.
Malcolm was revered by Petro. The respect was mutual, with the two remaining in constant contact until Malcolm passed away.
Testament to this, in her condolences last week, Tammy Fraser wrote to Roxanne that
“Malcolm relied upon and admired Petro’s advice. His integrity new no bounds and he will be much missed.”
During the Fraser years, Petro inspired the introduction of multicultural policies, including the Galbally inquiry; the creation of a new Department of Immigration; the decision to accept tens of thousands of Vietnamese refugees following the fall of Saigon; and the establishment of SBS Television.
He later became the Director of the Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs, where he brought together the best and brightest including Professor Louie Waller, Giancarlo Piovano-Martini, Dr Peter Sheldrake, Frank Galbally, Dr Spiro Moraitis (who also became long-serving family doctor to the Georgiou’s), and his old compatriots Colin Rubinstein and Jo Swarc, where they drove reforms together for 5 years.
Colin would later call Petro the “Architect of Australian Multiculturalism”.
Liberal Party machine man and the return of the political warrior
But it wasn’t long before Liberal politics again reached out to Petro.
In the 1980s, the Victorian Liberal Party was reeling from the loss of long-term State and Federal Government’s. The State Party was outgunned, under-resourced and undermanned.
Petro took to the barricades to help.
After working as a Senior Adviser to Andrew Peacock, whom he admired greatly, Petro was appointed State Director following the 1988 state election loss.
Despite having worked closely with both Fraser and Peacock, he was viewed by some with scepticism.
But he moved decisively and quickly transformed the Victorian Secretariat into the most dynamic, uncompromising, and successful political machine in the country.
He attracted new, talented, and loyal staff.
He sought and won more resources.
He rewrote the book on everything, testing detailed processes over and over.
He worked with the State Parliamentary Party and the Administrative Committee to overhaul preselection processes.
And Petro did these things side by side with a young Ted Baillieu, the Vice President and subsequently President of the Victorian Liberal Party.
Ted and Petro always had each other’s backs and became lifelong friends. As we know now, Ted later entered Parliament and became the Premier of Victoria in 2010, returning the State Liberals from their later stint in political wilderness, in what was one of the proudest moments of Petro’s life.
Theirs was an incredible partnership, and Ted and his wife, Robyn, are with us today.
In an example relayed to me by Ted, Petro established the Liberal Policy Unit, which developed the policies for the 1992 state election.
Shadow Ministers were initially asked to submit their policy proposals. The results were underwhelming. In the end, Petro and his great mate Peter Wilkinson wrote all the final policy documents.
It was a coherent, bold, and distinct platform. To top it off, the package was subjected to an unprecedented round of proofreading. Awards for undiscovered mistakes were made.
As always, some things got through the net. A major events policy document was lampooned in the media after it included a stock photo of a sports crowd that turned out to be from an Arsenal game in the UK.
After the 1992 election, a framed Arsenal shirt was presented to Petro as a reminder of the importance of the little things in politics.
For those who worked with Petro at the party Headquarters at 104 Exhibition Street, he expected a 24/7 commitment, but it was an inspirational time.
And so were the results. Nine 9 seats won in Victoria at the 1990 Federal Election.
At the State level, the overwhelming win in 1992’s “Guilty Party” Election, where Jeff Kennett, whose capabilities Petro admired immensely, swept Labor from power to commence the critical task of lifting Victoria out of the economic mire.
So, Petro had become the quintessential party machine man.
Grahame Morris, another veteran Liberal Party warrior who worked with Petro on countless campaigns, said it best last week when he told me:
“He is, by a long way, the best political campaigner to come out of Victoria. We fought a lot of battles together and won most of them.”
Petro was immediately poached to become John Hewson’s Chief of Staff following his loss in the 1993 Fightback Election.
Ron Walker was the Chief poacher and not only was Petro appointed to that role, by popular demand he retained his job as Victorian State Director, too.
While Hewson’s leadership was lost to Alexander Downer, for Petro, the experience was still positive.
It was where he first met Roxanne, who was an advisor in Hewson’s media team and would later become Petro’s devoted partner of 31 years, supporting him through various elections, preselections and other trials and tribulations.
The Member for Kooyong
When Andrew Peacock retired from politics in 1994, there was widespread speculation about his successor.
Unexpectedly for some, Petro put his hat in the ring.
Again, the reception from some in the party was mixed. Some said he was a ‘backroom operator,’ ‘too tough’, ‘too multicultural’, ‘not approved by the faction, ‘ even an ‘independent thinker’ of all things!
Petro scared off the big names and confronted the old guard. He won preselection and afterwards the hearts and minds of the party and the people of Kooyong.
Petro was first elected Member for Kooyong in 1994. He was re-elected five times before retiring at the 2010 election.
During his 16 years as a Federal MP, Petro tackled issues with his trademark passion and integrity.
Whether it was mandatory detention, laws for the Indigenous, reforms to anti–terrorism legislation, changes to the citizenship test, Australia’s voting system or the treatment of asylum seekers, Petro was a fierce advocate for the traditional values of the Liberal party and human rights.
To some, he was considered the conscience of the liberal party; to others, a man of principle and a champion of those less fortunate.
Not everyone agreed with his views. He had his share of detractors, including in the Liberal Party.
But as Winston Churchill famously said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”
Petro did both. His policy disagreement battle with then Prime Minister John Howard over the treatment of refuges and asylum seekers was a legendary example.
Petro, who eschewed all forms of ceremony and described himself as a “humble backbencher”, was locked in a dramatic two-year political struggle with the Prime Minister to force reform to Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
Eventually, Petro prevailed. The Howard government agreed to close refugee detention centres across Australia; release women and children in detention; and grant permanent residency to some 10,000 asylum seekers, many of whom had been held in detention for several years.
It was one of Petro’s proudest achievements and was lauded as a victory for compassion from all sides of politics.
Michael Kapel, Petro’s longtime adviser, loyal and cherished friend, was Petro’s consiglieri on many of his adventures as a Federal MP and is here with us today with his wife Marisa.
Michael told me that on one occasion during the fiery Parliamentary debates over refugees, he and Petro were in the Parliamentary dining room eating lunch when Gough Whitlam entered the dining room with an entourage of Labor MP’s.
Gough saw Petro across the room and left his colleagues, making a beeline towards Petro’s table with the aid of his walking stick.
“Petro,” he said, “I know it was you with Fraser and those Khemlani papers in 1975. But I forgive you, my son. Keep up the fight for those refugees. You are a good man, Petro.”
Life after politics
Following his retirement from politics in 2010, Petro continued to participate in public discourse.
He received an AO in 2013 for distinguished service to the Parliament of Australia, to multiculturalism, human rights advocacy, and to the community.
He also accepted an appointment as Professorial Fellow at Monash University and the University of Melbourne, where he taught a master class in politics and power.
One 35-year tradition Petro maintained during retirement was Friday lunch at Bamboo House, with regular attendees including Petro, Ted Baillieu, Michael Kapel, and Russell Broadbent.
On occasion, other guests and I might score an invitation.
It is said the Greek Gods gathered on the peak of Mount Olympus in search of wisdom. Lesser sages settled for temples on the high ground at Bamboo House.
Lunch with Petro was legendary. There were great debates and arguments, pearls of genius and colourful commentary on the state of the world, the liberal party, government, and news of the day. There was plotting and planning. Political schemes hatched. Political wars prosecuted. Enemies vanquished. And always, how to improve the state of the nation.
Visitors to the top table were treated to the same order on repeat for 35 years: Pan Fried Dumplings, San Choi Bau, Chilli Calamari, Peking Duck and Dry Fried Beef.
Amazingly, at his last visit, not long before he passed away, Petro suddenly announced, ‘let’s try something different’. The Gods were aghast.
Bamboo House proprietors Alex and Annie served them diligently, occasionally warning them of political enemies at the other end of the restaurant!
We thank them for their years of service and for making the restaurant available later today for Petro’s wake.
In his life after politics, Petro was the most content I had seen him.
He was happiest at home at Wellesley Road, Hawthorn, where he consumed his books, serially harassed his gardeners and spent time with his partner Roxanne, whom he adored.
To Roxanne, their partnership was, and I quote, “an impenetrable bond. Unconditionally loving, completely devoted, fiercely loyal, always affectionate. They were perpetually inseparable. Each the other’s ‘everything'”.
His family
I said before that the Georgiou family is tight-knit and sticks together. Petro was idolised and adored by his family.
He was the one we looked up to, went to for advice, encouragement and sometimes, approval.
He was the life of the party at our family regular gatherings, including Christmas, Greek Easter, the Grand Final and any other excuse we could devise to get together and enjoy each other’s company.
We all appreciated Petro’s quick wit and wry sense of humour.
My sister Alexia recalls this trait fondly, telling the story of the car ride to the church in Florence on her wedding day. As the vintage Italian Lancia chugged up the Florentine hills, the gasoline began to leak from the car.
Petro turned to Alexia and quipped, “It’s probably not a good time to ask the driver for a smoke”.
It is said the Greek Gods gathered on the peak of Mount Olympus in search of wisdom. Lesser sages settled for temples on the high ground at Bamboo House.
Sadly, this year’s Greek Easter was not the same.
Indeed, Petro was not without his faults.
He could be stubborn, had a short temper, and an acid tongue that one would not want to be on the receiving end of.
He was committed and dedicated to his work. In his valedictory speech, he recognised that his working life had taken a toll on his family, in particular me and Alexia when we were younger.
Fortunately, Petro and I had an opportunity to spend time together during the Howard Government when I was a Senior Adviser to John Fahey and later Robert Hill, during which we lived together at the infamous Pinnacle Apartments in Canberra, which go to for MPs and staffers alike during chaotic parliamentary sitting weeks.
And the birth of his grandchildren Alexander, Zoe and Gabriele, whom he adored and was proud of, also provided a chance to connect the generations of Georgiou’s.
A man of grace
Sadly, on Thursday 3 April Petro took his regular afternoon nap but didn’t awake, he died peacefully in his sleep. Rox found him with his Kindle on his chest.
The Georgiou family, including me and Martha, our children Alexander and Zoe, my sister Alexia and her husband Davide and son Gabriele, and Petro’s sisters Athena and Joanne, were able to be there with Rox to farewell him.
Petro’s favourite political satirist, P.J. O’Rourke, once lamented, “Why can’t death-if we must have it, be always glorious, as in ‘The Iliad'”.
I’m not sure whether Petro’s passing quite lived up to that standard. But I know he would not have had it other way.
To him, it would have been perfect.
Goodbye, Dad.
And thank you all again for being here.
