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.
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 |
Early life
editPeter 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
editWilenski 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
editIn 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
editWilenski 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.