John Taylor (public servant)
John Casey Taylor AO (2 December 1930 – 14 May 2011) was a senior Australian public servant. He was Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs from 1981 to 1984.
John Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs | |
| In office 6 May 1981 – 29 March 1984 | |
| Commonwealth Auditor-General | |
| In office 1988 – 13 January 1995 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Casey Taylor 2 December 1930 Melbourne |
| Died | 14 May 2011 (aged 80) Canberra |
| Nationality | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australian |
| Spouse(s) | Valerie Booth (m. 1959–2011; his death) |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne Australian National University |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Life and career
John Taylor was born on 2 December 1930 in Melbourne.[1] He graduated from University of Melbourne with a degree in commerce.[2]
Taylor joined the Australian Public Service in 1952 as a clerk in the Victorian branch of the Postmaster-General's Department.[3]
Between 1974 and 1981, Taylor was a Commissioner on the Public Service Board.[4]
In 1981 he was appointed Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.[5] According to Charles Perkins, who succeeded him as Secretary in the department, his departure in 1984 was against his wishes.[6] He was made a special adviser to the Department until June 1984, when he was appointed Australia's Consul-General in New York.[7]
Between 1988 and 1995 he was Commonwealth Auditor-General.[8] As Auditor-General, Taylor said he saw his main achievements as providing a much more efficient and focused service to the Australian Parliament and people, and keeping up with (if not getting ahead of) contemporary professional standards.[9]
Taylor died on 14 May 2011.[10]
Awards
In 1990, Taylor was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his public service.[11]
References
- "PS worker rose to be auditor". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. 16 June 2011. p. 12.
- Andrews, Ross (7 May 1981). "New heads to two departments named". The Canberra Times. p. 1.
- Hawke, Robert (22 April 1988). "Untitled" (Press release). Archived from the original on 10 May 2014.
- "Taylor is new head auditor". The Canberra Times. 23 April 1988. p. 7.
- CA 1476: Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 10 May 2014
- Perkins, Charles (7 May 1998), Charles Perkins: Full interview transcript
- "Diplomatic post". The Canberra Times. 16 June 1984. p. 3.
- History of the ANAO, Australian National Audit Office, 2014, archived from the original on 28 March 2014
- Henderson, Ian (7 January 1995). "Auditor quits with a blast". The Canberra Times. p. 1.
- Gray, Gary (23 August 2011), 110th Anniversary of the Australian National Audit Office, archived from the original on 10 May 2014
- "Search Australian Honours: TAYLOR, John Casey", itsanhonour.gov.au, Australian Government, retrieved 10 May 2014
Further reading
- Brough, Jodie (7 January 1995). "A whimsical postscript as public watchdog takes his leave". The Canberra Times. p. 10.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Tony Ayers |
Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs 1981 – 1984 |
Succeeded by Charles Perkins |
| Preceded by John Monaghan |
Commonwealth Auditor-General 1988 – 1995 |
Succeeded by Pat Barrett |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Denis Cordner |
Australian Consul General in New York 1984–1988 |
Succeeded by Chris Hurford |