Tuesday, 8 September 2026

 Michael O’BRIEN (Malvern) (13:02): I first met Peter Katsambanis when I was a student at Melbourne University. Peter was into heavy metal, and he had the long hair and black T-shirts to go with it. You might even say that Peter looked a little intimidating back then, if not for the kindness that you could clearly see in his eyes. That I met this devoted metalhead at a meeting of the Liberal club was only the first time that Peter would surprise me, because that was the thing about the Kat – despite setbacks in life, he never wavered from the things he believed in. He joined the Liberal club because he was rightly outraged by compulsory student unionism on campus.

Family mattered to him. In Peter’s maiden speech as the newly elected member for Monash Province in 1996 he paid tribute to the influence of his Greek migrant parents. Peter lost his election in 2002, but he kept showing up. A move to Western Australia saw him elected to the Legislative Council in 2013, shifting to the Assembly in 2017, where he served as a senior shadow minister. Peter’s parliamentary career came to an end in 2021, but he never stopped fighting for freedom. He never stopped his love of Collingwood or South Melbourne Hellas. He never stopped being proud of his Greek heritage, and he never stopped the love of his family – his greatest achievement. My condolences to Peter’s wife Karalee and his children Ross, Andrew, Angelica, Zoe and Nikkie. Vale, Peter Katsambanis, the most solid of solid citizens.