PRIME MINISTER
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTERs THE HON P J KEATING MP
APPOINTMENT OF AUSTRALIAN STATISTICIAN01
I am pleased to announce that Cabinet has agreed to the proposed
appointment of Mr Bill McLennan as Australian Statistician. The appointment
will be submitted for approval by the Governor-General in Council.
Mr McLennan will replace Mr Ian Castles, who will retire on 25 November
1994.
Mr McLennan has had a distinguished career as a statistician. He was
Deputy Australian Statistician from 1986 to 1992 after having worked in a
wide range of areas in the Bureau since joining the organisation after his
completion of his undergraduate studies. lHe graduated with an honours
degree in Economics from the Australian National University.
In 1992, Mr McLennan accepted an appointment as Director of the Central
Statistical Off Ice and Head of the Government Statistical Service in the
United Kingdom. The appointment reflected Mr McLennan's International
standing in the field of statistics and the excellent reputation of the Australian
Bureau of Statistics as one of the world's leading statistical organisations.
The Government is looking forward to continued high levels of achievement
by the Bureau under Mr McLennan's leadership, confirming its place as a
world leader in the field of statistics.
Mr McLennan will take up his appointment on 3 April 1995. The appointment
is for a term of seven years.
Following the retirement of Mr Castles, Dr Richard Madden will act as
Australian Statistician until Mr McLennans arrival.
The Treasurer and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Castles for
his service to the Australian Government and people over the course of his
long and distinguished career.
2
Mr Castles was appointed Australian Statistician in April 1986 after seven
years as Secretary of the Department of Finance. Before that he had been
Undersecretiry to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and served
years in the Commonwealth Treasury.
Mr Castles was a member of the Royal Commission on Australian
Government Administration Task Group on Processes of Economic Policy in
Australia, 1974-75, President, International Association of Official Statistics,
1991-93 and was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences of
Australia in 1989.
CANBERRA 13 OCTOBER 1994