Peter Wilenski
Peter Wilenski | |
|---|---|
 Wilenski in 1975 | |
| Secretary of the Department of Labor and Immigration | |
| In office 31 March 1975 – 22 December 1975 | |
| Secretary of the Department of Education and Youth Affairs | |
| In office 25 March 1983 – 1 November 1983 | |
| Secretary of the Department of Transport and Communications | |
| In office 24 Jul 1987 – 30 September 1988 | |
| Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | |
| In office 15 February 1992 – 14 May 1993 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Peter Stephen Wilenski 10 May 1939 Łódź, Poland |
| Died | 3 November 1994 (aged 55) Sydney, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Spouse(s) | Gail Radford Jill Hager |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney University of Oxford |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Peter Stephen Wilenski, AC (10 May 1939 – 3 November 1994) was a senior Australian public servant and ambassador. He was a champion of women's rights and equal opportunity.
Early life
[edit]Peter Wilenski was born in Łódź, Poland on 10 May 1939.[1][2] He came to Australia in 1943 as a Jewish refugee, due to World War II conflict and persecution of Jewish people in his home country.[3] His family spent time in a Soviet internment camp before coming to Australia.[4] For high school education, he attended Sydney Boys High School.[4] He later studied at the University of Sydney where he met his first wife, Gail Radford, when both were student politicians.[5]
Career
[edit]Wilenski entered the Australian Public Service as a Foreign Affairs Officer (1967–71).[1]
Wilenski's first Secretary role was in the Department of Labor and Immigration, appointed by the Whitlam government in March 1975 fresh from a position as private secretary to Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.[6] Just months after his appointment, the federal opposition were promising to sack Wilenski when they were back in power.[7] During the 1970s Wilenski was working for the United States of America in what a historian has called "a discreet relationship".[8]
In March 1983 Wilenski was placed in his second Secretary role, this time as head of the Department of Education and Youth Affairs. His tenure at the department was seven months.[9]
Wilenski was appointed Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1992, but retired from the position in 1993 due to ill health.[4][10]
Awards
[edit]In 1994, Wilenski was named a Companion of the Order of Australia for service to international relations and to public sector reform, particularly through fostering the implementation of social justice and equity principles.
Death
[edit]Wilenski died on 3 November 1994 at his home in Sydney after battling lymphatic cancer for several years.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b CP 451: Dr Peter Stephen WILENSKI AC, AO, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 22 January 2014
- ^ "Peter Wilenski; Former Ambassador, 55". The New York Times. 14 November 1994. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014.
- ^ Evans, Gareth (22 June 1995). THE WORLD AFTER WILENSKI: AN AUSTRALIAN WHO MATTERED (Speech). Inaugural Peter Wilenski Memorial Lecture. Canberra. Archived from the original on 10 June 2007.
- ^ a b c Rosemary Follett and Kate Carnell (8 November 1994). "Hansard" (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Australian Capital Territory. pp. 3767–3770. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2013.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Radford, Gail (7 March 2013). My life in Canberra (PDF) (Speech). Canberra Museum and Gallery. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2014.
- ^ CA 1769: Department of Labor and Immigration, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 23 January 2014
- ^ "Opposition pledges to sack Wilenskis". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 September 1975. p. 2.
- ^ Coventry, C. J., "The Eloquence of Robert J Hawke: United States informer, 1973-79," Australian Journal of Politics and History, 67:1 (2021), 69.
- ^ CA 3494: Department of Education and Youth Affairs, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 23 January 2014
- ^ Keating, Paul (14 May 1993). "Dr Peter Wilenski, AO" (Press release). Archived from the original on 10 November 2013.
- ^ "Peter Wilenski, former envoy from Australia", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 18, 14 November 1994
Further reading
[edit]- Mitcham, Chad J., Wilenski, 'Peter Stephen (1939–1994)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wilenski-peter-stephen-29978/text37160, published online 2020.
- Waterford, Jack (4 November 1994). "Obituary: Peter Wilenski- A Revolutionary in the Public Service". The Canberra Times. p. 9.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1939 births
- Australian Jews
- People from Łódź
- 1994 deaths
- Companions of the Order of Australia
- Deaths from cancer in New South Wales
- Polish emigrants to Australia
- Secretaries of the Australian Government Immigration Department
- Secretaries of the Australian Government Education Department
- Permanent Representatives of Australia to the United Nations
- People educated at Sydney Boys High School