Collins was elected to the Legislative Assembly at the 1976 state election , winning the new seat of Noble Park . A somewhat outspoken MP , he was a staunch opponent of massage parlors and had a strong interest in consumer affairs issues . He crossed the floor to vote with the National Party and Labor opposition in 1978 over a lack of parliamentary time set aside for discussing social welfare legislation . He was re-elected at the 1979 election . Collins had been floated as a potential minister during his second term , and when Lindsay Thompson ousted Rupert Hamer as Liberal leader and Premier in 1981 , Thompson promoted Collins to cabinet secretary . In 1981 , he travelled to Italy to locate any victims of the 1980 Irpinia earthquake who may have had family in Australia
1980 Irpinia earthquake
1980 Irpinia earthquake
Peter Collins (Victorian politician)