PETER Crisp has kept a low profile since leaving the sometimes grubby world of politics, but he’s been easy to spot in high-vis work gear while getting some real dirt on his hands.
The former Member for Mildura these days works for a mixed-engineering firm on the other side of the river, but he can now dust off the suit and tie for a return to politics as a Wentworth Shire councillor.
Mr Crisp, 67, who served for 12 years as a Nationals MP in the Victorian Parliament before being narrowly defeated by independent Ali Cupper in 2018, has secured enough votes to make quota in the shire election now under way and will take his seat on the council early in the new year.
He told Sunraysia Daily he hadn’t initially planned a return to politics and “enjoyed a quieter life for quite a while”, but things had changed.
“(Former Nationals MP, the late Ken Wright) said to me that there’s nothing quite so ex as a former parliamentarian and, taking that advice, I’ve kept a reasonably low profile,” he said.
“When you’ve finished with politics, or politics has finished with you, you quietly step back out of the limelight and that’s just what I’ve done.
“That time passed and, working in the Wentworth Shire and owning property in the Wentworth Shire, I began to think that I can make a contribution here and I put my name forward to see what people think, and I’m very grateful for the confidence that’s been shown.
“We are in interesting times … we will be emerging from COVID and things have changed a lot due to COVID.
“In parts of the shire there is considerable growth and the need for residential and horticultural planning, so there’s a number of areas within my area of interest and area of expertise where I can be of use to the people of this area in dealing with some of those opportunities and some of that change.”
He has all but ruled out running for mayor, however, saying that someone who had already been on the council in the present era would be a better fit.
Mr Crisp, who grew up in Dareton, has been married to wife MaryAnn for 40 years, has three children and three grandchildren. As well as being a shire councillor for three years before entering parliament, he trained as an electrical engineer, served on NSW health boards for 22 years, was involved in the citrus industry for 20 years, was a horticulturalist for 35 years, and ran his small business for 25 years. He says that, in his present job, he’s still learning.
“I’m not too bad a machinery operator now and starting to understand a lot of new things about repairing things,” he said.
Full election results will not be known until all postal votes are counted, but Mr Crisp and fellow challengers Daniel Linklater and Steve Cooper have all reached the necessary quota. Deputy Mayor Tim Elstone also looks certain to hold his place.
