Peter Sim

Article summary

John Peter Sim, (21 June 1917 – 29 July 2015) was an Australian politician. Born in Colac, Victoria, he was a farmer in Western Australia before serving in the military 1941–1946. He was Vice-President of the Western Australian Liberal Party 1960–1962. On 26 November 1964, he was appointed to the Australian Senate as a Liberal Senator for Western Australia, filling the casual vacancy caused by the death of Senator Seddon Vincent. The Australian Constitution dictated that a special Senate election had to be held at the same time as the lower house 1966 election, but Sim was re-elected. He held the seat until his retirement in 1980.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1941 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of birth: 1917-01-21 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of death: 2015-07-29 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1941". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of birth is "1917-01-21". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of death is "2015-07-29". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
6. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1350116278