Peter Cousens AM
About
Peter is a senior cultural leader and newly qualified lawyer, with a career spanning over four decades as a performer, and executive leader of institutions engaging directly with the public.
​Peter’s areas of interest include advocacy, estates, commercial and entertainment law. He is committed to developing his legal practice with integrity, care and close attention to both the law and the people it serves.
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Peter brings rare lived experience of organisational failure and recovery, providing deep insight into governance breakdown, fiduciary responsibility, reputational risk, and institutional reform.
This experience has informed his later work designing sustainable, ethically grounded programs and cultures across the arts and community sectors.
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Alongside his legal work, Peter continues his lifelong contribution to the arts and remains an advocate for the role of story and song in human wellbeing and community life.
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He has completed a Juris Doctor and completing a Graduate Diploma in Legal Training (PLT).​ He holds a Master of Arts (Creative Writing) and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.
He is the founder of a not-for-profit theatre company; the director of the feature-film "Freedom" (starring Cuba Gooding Jr.); and has written and directed documentary work for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation including the recently released "Don't Waste It".
Peter is also a long-standing leader in arts education and creative development. ​​​For eight years, he led the creation of values-based programs supported by the NSW Department of Education, supporting emerging contemporary singer-songwriters and performers, balancing artistic excellence with duty of care and professional accountability.
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Peter is the creator of Music & Memories and Life Songs, developed in collaboration with Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA). These initiatives translate narrative, identity, and lived experience into structured frameworks that support memory, wellbeing, and intergenerational connection.
In recognition of his services to the arts and the community, Peter was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
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​Peter brings to legal practice a distinctive combination of executive judgment, advocacy presence, emotional intelligence, and deep understanding narrative, and how institutions affect real lives—particularly when systems fail.
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