Roger David Bernard Beale (born 18 December 1946) is a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker. Since retiring from the public service, Beale has continued to pursue work as an artist, having held exhibitions in galleries around

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

since 1984.

Background and early life

Roger Beale was born on 18 December 1946 in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, India. Beale and his parents emigrated to Australia from India in the 1950s, so he could receive better treatment for the

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

he had contracted at age two. Beale studied arts, training in Queensland with teachers including

Betty Churcher Elizabeth Ann Dewar Churcher (''née'' Cameron; 11 January 193131 March 2015) was an Australian arts administrator, best known as director of the National Gallery of Australia from 1990 to 1997. She was also a painter in her own right e ...

and Jon Molvig. He also attained a Bachelor of Arts in History and Law from the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

and a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

Career

Beale first joined the

Australian Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the G ...

in 1967 as an administrative trainee. Beale was appointed

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

of the Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories in 1996 and remained head of the department when it was transitioned to

Department of the Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

and later

Department of the Environment and Heritage The Department of the Environment and Heritage was an Australian Government department that existed between October 1998 and December 2007. Scope Information about the department's functions and government funding allocation could be ...

. In 2004, Beale retired from the Australian Public Service after 37 years of service. Since retirement, Beale has continued his work as an artist, having held exhibitions in galleries around

since 1984. His major themes include life studies, art history, landscapes and the sublime. He also chaired a review of Australia's Quarantine and Biosecurity Arrangements, in 2008, and went on to become a Commissioner of the

Climate Commission The Climate Commission was an independent body established in 2011 by the Government of Australia to communicate "reliable and authoritative information" about climate change in Australia. Abolished by the newly elected LNP government led by Prime ...

when it was established in 2011.

Awards

Beale was made a Member of the Order of Australia for contribution to national economic reform in 1995 and an Officer of the Order in 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beale, Roger Australian public servants Living people 1946 births Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations alumni University of Queensland alumni Officers of the Order of Australia