Ian Sharp (public servant)

Ian Gordon Sharp AO (April 23, 1913 – July 26, 1996[1]) was a former senior Australian public servant, best known for his time as Secretary heading the Department of Labour and subsequently the Department of Labor and Immigration in the early 1970s.[2]

Dr Ian Gordon Sharp
AO
Secretary of the Department of Labour
In office
19 December 1972 – 12 June 1974
Secretary of the Department of Labor and Immigration
In office
12 June 1974 – 31 March 1975
Personal details
Born
Ian Gordon Sharp

(1913-04-23)April 23, 1913
Died26 July 1996(1996-07-26) (aged 83)
NationalityAustralia Australian
Parent(s)Charles Hay Sharp and Margaret Gordon
OccupationPublic servant

Life and career

Dr Ian Sharp was born in 1913. He attended the University of Western Australia, studying Law. Graduating with first class honours, he was admitted to the London School of Economics. His Ph.D thesis "Industrial Conciliation and Arbritration in Great Britain" was published by Allen and Unwin in 1950.[3]

In 1972, Dr Sharp was appointed Secretary of the new Department of Labour,[4] Contrary to the practice of most Whitlam Ministers, who inherited departmental heads from their Menzies Government colleagues, Dr Sharp was hand-chosen for the role by the Minister for Labour Clyde Cameron.[5][6] Sharp, a lawyer with a background in arbitration was said to be regarded as an old friend by Cameron.[7]

When a New Ministry was announced, and his Minister's role was expanded to include immigration, Dr Sharp's role too expanded and he was made Secretary of the new Department of Labor and Immigration.[8][9] When Sharp handed over his Secretary position to Peter Wilenski in 1975, he spent three months with Wilenski in something of an "apprenticeship" role, sharing authority in the department, before leaving in March that year.[10]

On 31 March 1975 Dr Sharp started a three-year appointment as a judge of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission.[11][12]

Awards

Dr Sharp was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in June 1989 for his public service, particularly in the field of industrial relations.[13]

References
  1. Victoria Government Gazette (PDF), No. S95, 20. August 1996
  2. Burckel, Christian E., ed. (1951). Who's who in the United Nations - Volume 1. C.E. Burckel & Associates. p. 395.
  3. Catalogue Record: Reminiscential conversations between the Hon. Clyde R. Cameron and Dr Ian Sharp [sound recording], National Library of Australia
  4. CA 1480: Department of Labour, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 3 February 2015
  5. Bannon, John (17 March 2008). "Hard, but without trickery". The Australian. News Ltd.
  6. Juddery, Bruce (21 December 1972). "Six of 18 new Heads named". The Canberra Times. p. 1.
  7. Juddery, Bruce (7 June 1975). "Mr Cameron: Despite setback, still a power in the Labor movement". The Canberra Times. p. 2.
  8. CA 1769: Department of Labor and Immigration, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 3 February 2015
  9. Whitlam, Gough (11 June 1974). "New Ministry" (Press release). Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
  10. Juddery, Bruce (31 March 1975). "The in-tray runneth over for Peter Wilenski". The Canberra Times. p. 2.
  11. "New postings: Dr Wilenski made department head". The Canberra Times. 10 December 1974. p. 1.
  12. Sir Richard Kirby Archives, Past Members 1956 to present, Australian Government, archived from the original on 4 February 2014
  13. "Search Australian Honours: SHARP, Ian Gordon, Officer of the Order of Australia", itsanhonour.gov.au, Australian Government, archived from the original on 3 February 2015
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