William Cole (public servant)
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William Cole | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of the Department of Defence | |
| In office 6 February 1984 – 15 October 1986 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Pritchett |
| Succeeded by | Alan Woods |
| Secretary of the Department of Finance | |
| In office 7 December 1976 – 2 November 1978 | |
| Preceded by | New department |
| Succeeded by | Ian Castles |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert William Cole 16 September 1926 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 8 January 2019 (aged 92) Perth, Western Australia |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne[1] |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Sir Robert William Cole (16 September 1926 – 8 January 2019)[2][3] was a senior Australian public servant. He held secretary-level positions in four departments or agencies during the Fraser government and Hawke government years.
Cole was born in 1926 in Melbourne.[4][5] His parents were James Cole and Rita Tassie.[6]: 56 He had two younger siblings, Geoff and Barbara.[6]: 56 He attended Northcote High School but left school in 1941.[6]: 56 He began his public-service career at the age of 15 as a telegraph messenger.[6]: 56 In 1944, he was conscripted in and served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II ending in service's postal division.[6]: 56 After being demobilised, he returned to his previous work at the Department of Supply in Melbourne.[6]: 56
In 1948, taking advantage of the Labor government's Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme, he completed his high school years 11 and 12.[6]: 56 This allowed him to attend and completed a commerce degree at the University of Melbourne.[7]
After graduating, Cole briefly worked in the Department of Supply, and then in 1952 moved to Canberra to work as a research officer in the Department of the Treasury.[6]: 56 He was seconded to the International Monetary Fund in 1957 and worked in Washington, D.C., until 1959, when he returned to the Treasury.[6]: 56 He was director of the Bureau of Transport Economics from 1970 to 1972, and then took on various senior roles:[7]
- first Assistant Secretary to the Treasury (1972–76)
- Australian Statistician (1976)
- Secretary of the Department of Finance (1976–78)
- Chairman of the Public Service Board (1978–83) and
- Secretary of the Department of Defence (1984–87).[8]
