Allan Douglas Hawke (18 February 1948 – 31 August 2022) was an Australian senior

public servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

. During his public service career, Hawke served as

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Paul Keating Paul John Keating (born 18 January 1944) is an Australian former politician and trade unionist who served as the 24th prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996. He held office as the leader of the Labor Party (ALP), having previously ser ...

;

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 Veterans' Affairs (1994–1996); Secretary of the Department of Transport and Regional Services (1996–1999); and Secretary of the Department of Defence (1999–2002). Hawke was then appointed High Commissioner to New Zealand (2003–2005), and subsequently

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

(2006–2008). Hawke was Chairman of the

Canberra Raiders The Canberra Raiders are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the national capital city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. They have competed in Australasia's elite rugby league competition, the National Rugb ...

Board of Directors.

Background and early years

Hawke was born in

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 ...

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal States and territories of Australia, territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory, an ...

, and educated at Queanbeyan High School in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. Hawke held a Bachelor of Science (1st Class Honours) and a Doctor of Philosophy from the

, Canberra.

Career

Hawke's extensive career in public administration at senior levels included appointments as Secretary of the Departments of Veterans' Affairs, Transport and Regional Development (later Transport and Regional Services) and Defence. He completed his

public service A public service or service of general (economic) interest is any service intended to address the needs of aggregate members of a community, whether provided directly by a public sector agency, via public financing available to private busin ...

to Australia as High Commissioner and Plenipotentiary of Australia to New Zealand, between 2003 and 2006. Hawke was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Public Administration (FAIPA) in 1998 and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management (FAIM) in 1999, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to public service. In 2001, he became a Fellow of the

Australian Institute of Company Directors The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is a non-profit membership organization for directors. The AICD is a founding member of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI). History The origins of the AICD can be traced ba ...

(FAICD) and was also honoured with the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

for his service as Secretary to the Department of Defence.Centenary Medal
, It's an Honour, Australian Government. Retrieved 14 June 2010 The Australian Financial Review's "Boss" Magazine named him as one of Australia's top 30 true leaders in its inaugural list in 2001.
, Australian Government. Retrieved 14 June 2010 In 2010, Hawke was appointed a

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

for his eminent service to public administration, particularly through the formulation and implementation of policy in the areas of transport, defence and education, and to the strengthening of bilateral relations with New Zealand.Companion of the Order of Australia
, It's an Honour, itsanhonour.gov.au
14 June 2010 Hawke participated in major inquiries into the Commonwealth Public Service including: * the Review of Commonwealth Functions; * the Review of Commonwealth Administration and the Efficiency Scrutiny Unit; * Head of the Secretariat for the Review of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission; * The Hawke Report – a review of the

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...

(EPBC Act, the Act); * the Review of the Administration of the Home Insulation Program – a review into the failings and the future of the Home Insulation Program (part of the Renewable Energy Bonus Scheme); * government review of Woomera Prohibited Area; and * a foundation member of the Management Improvement Advisory Committee. On 3 September 2010, ACT

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

Jon Stanhope announced that Hawke would lead a review into the Australian Capital Territory's Public Service.ACT public service under review
ABC, 3 September 2010 Following the release of his findings in March 2011, the Federal Government ordered another review into the National Capital Authority, where Hawke will conduct the inquiry. In March 2011, Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, announced that an independent review into the Christmas Island breakouts and riots will be carried out by two former senior public servants, Dr Allan Hawke and Helen Williams. Also in March 2011, the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon

Simon Crean Simon Findlay Crean (26 February 1949 – 25 June 2023) was an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and leader of the opposition from 2001 to 2003. He represented the seat of Hotham i ...

MP, announced that Hawke was to conduct an independent review of the National Capital Authority. Hawke served on various boards including the Management Advisory Board, Administrative Review Council,

Australian Strategic Policy Institute The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is a defence and strategic policy think tank based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, founded by the Australian government, and funded by the Australian Department of Defence along with o ...

Council, Foreign Affairs Council and the Defence and National Security Advisory Council.About the review
DEWHA, 1 May 2010. Hawke's other appointments included Chairs of the MTAA Superannuation Fund Trustee Board, the

Civil Aviation Safety Authority The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's civil aviation. CASA was formed on 6 July 1995 under the ''Civil Aviation Act 1988'' when the Civil ...

, the Canberra Raiders Board, and the Prime Ministerial Advisory Council on Ex-Service Matters; a director of ACTEW Corporation; and a member of the Centre for Applied Philosophy & Public Ethics Advisory Board

Personal life

Hawke married Maria Michele Senti on 2 April 1977 and they have one child. For recreation he enjoyed

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

, researching family history and he was a member of the Royal Canberra Golf Club. Hawke died of cancer on 31 August 2022.

Background and early years

Career

Personal life

References

Further reading