Stuart Hamilton (public servant)

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Stuart Hamilton
Secretary of the Department of Community Services and Health
In office
1 August 1988 – 7 June 1991
Secretary of the Department of Health, Housing and Community Services
In office
7 June 1991 – 23 December 1993
Secretary of the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories
In office
24 March 1993 – 11 March 1996
Personal details
Born
Stuart Anthony Hamilton

31 March 1950
Hobart, Tasmania
NationalityAustralia Australian
Alma materUniversity of Tasmania
University of Oxford
Australian National University
OccupationPublic servant, lobbyist, CEO

Stuart Anthony Hamilton AO (born 31 March 1950) is a retired Australian senior public servant and CEO.

Early life[edit]

Stuart Hamilton was born in 1950 in Hobart, Tasmania,[1] the son of Murray and Yvonne Hamilton. He attended the University of Tasmania gaining a First Class Honours degree in Arts, majoring in English Language and Literature. He then attended Magdalen College Oxford University as the Tasmanian Rhodes Scholar for 1971, where he met and married Suzanne Westrop, a classicist studying at St Hilda’s College. They have two children, Richard (b. 1984) and Lucy (b. 1987). He subsequently attended the Australian National University, gaining a Bachelor of Economics in 1980.[2]

Career[edit]

Hamilton joined the Australian public service in 1975.[3] He worked in several departments, notably the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, becoming Deputy Secretary there in 1987. He was closely involved in developing the major changes to ministerial and departmental arrangements announced by Prime Minister Bob Hawke after the 1987 election .

In 1988, Hamilton was appointed Secretary of the Department of Community Services and Health.[4] He stayed on in the role when the Department transitioned to become the Department of Health, Housing and Community Services in 1991.[5]

Between 1993 and 1996, Hamilton was Secretary of the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories.[6]

When the Howard government was elected in 1996, Hamilton was one of six departmental secretaries to be sacked from their positions.[7]

From 1996 to 2001 he was Executive Director of the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee (now Universities Australia). In 2001 he became Secretary of the Victorian (State) Department of Education and Training. From 2003 to 2012 he was CEO of Open Universities Australia. He retired in February 2012.

He is currently a member of the Council of Deakin University, and a member of the boards of several not for profit organisations including the Accountability Roundtable, the Melbourne Art Foundation, the National Youth Choir of Australia and the Australian Chamber Choir.

Awards and honours[edit]

In January 1995, Hamilton was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of service to public administration and public sector reform.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ 1993-1996, English, Book edition: Speeches / Stuart Hamilton. Hamilton, Stuart Anthony, 1950-, National Library of Australia, retrieved 1 February 2014
  2. ^ "Stuart Anthony Hamilton AO". Australian National University. Archived from the original on 20 November 2013.
  3. ^ Tomazin, Farrah (1 June 2004). "Education office 'musical chairs'". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014.
  4. ^ CA 5985: Department of Community Services and Health, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 23 February 2014
  5. ^ CA 7297: Department of Health, Housing and Community Services, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 23 February 2014
  6. ^ CA 7661: Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 23 February 2014
  7. ^ Mulgan, Richard (10 November 1998), "Politicising the Australian Public Service", Research Paper 3 1998–99, Parliament of Australia, archived from the original on 23 February 2014
  8. ^ Search Australian Honours: HAMILTON, Stuart Anthony, Australian Government
Government offices
Preceded by Secretary of the Department of Community Services and Health
1988 – 1991
Succeeded by
Himself
as Secretary of the Department of Health, Housing and Community Services
Preceded by
Himself
as Secretary of the Department of Community Services and Health
Secretary of the Department of Health, Housing and Community Services
1991 – 1993
Succeeded byas Secretary of the Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services
Preceded byas Secretary of the Department of the Arts, Sport, the Environment and Territories Secretary of the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories
1993 – 1996
Succeeded by