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Australian public servant and diplomat From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 | |
---|---|
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 55) Sydney, Australia | (aged
Nationality | Australian |
Spouse(s) | Gail Radford Jill Hager |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | University of Sydney University of Oxford |
Occupation | Public servant |
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]
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]
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.
Wilenski died on 3 November 1994 at his home in Sydney after battling lymphatic cancer for several years.[11]
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