TATEMENT BY PRIME MINISTER. MR. R. G. MENZIES
POSITION OF CHAIRMAN OF PUBLIC SERVICE BOARD
The Prime Minister, Mr Menzies, announced today
that the chairman of the Public Service Board, Sir William
Dunk, had informed the Government that he wished to retire
from the position of chairman early in 1961. Mr. Menzies emphasised
that Sir William had taken this step in order to assist
the Government in arranging the succession to this important
public service office.
The Government has decided to appoint Mr F. H. Wheeler,
who is at present a Director of the International
Labour Organisation at Geneva. Before taking this appointment
in 1953, Mr. Wheeler was First Assistant Secretary in the
Department of the Treasury and one of the key Treasury advisers
to the Government through the War and in the Post-War
period. His experience with I. L. O. will be valuable in the
personnel administration field of the Public Service Board's
work. The appointment will date from January 1st, 1961,
Sir William Dunk, who will be 62 years of age this
year, joined the Public Service in 1914 and has had a distinguished
and varied public service career, including highly responsible
work in War Administration as Assistant Secretary in
the Treasury and Director of Reciprocal Lend Lease. Immediately
after the war he was appointed as head of the Department
of External Affairs, where he laid the administration foundations
for the Post-War work of the Department. Hu accepted
his present appointment in 1947 and has given outstanding service
in gearing the public service to its greatly expanded
Post-War tasks and in adopting a modern approach to the management
problems of the service.
Mr. Menzies said that Sir William's departure from
his present office would be a severe loss but his characteristically
public spirited attitude to the future of the sermice
was 1eenly appreciated by the Gyoernment. He had offered
to make himself available to the Board for assistance and consultation
during the early period of the now Chairman's a'point
ont, Canberra, llth October, 19 9.