Charles Halton (public servant)

Charles Christopher Halton CBE (4 March 1932 – 16 October 2013) was a senior Australian public servant.

Charles Halton
Director-General of the Department of Civil Aviation
In office
30 September 1973 – 30 November 1973
Secretary of the Department of Transport
In office
5 November 1973 – 7 May 1982
Secretary of the Department of Defence Support
In office
7 May 1982 – 13 December 1984
Secretary of the Department of Communications
In office
1 February 1986 – 24 July 1987
Personal details
Born
Charles Christopher Halton

(1932-03-04)4 March 1932
Yorkshire, Northern England
Died16 October 2013(2013-10-16) (aged 81)
NationalityAustralia Australian
SpouseShirley
ChildrenJane, David and Philip
OccupationPublic servant

Life and career

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Charles Halton was born on 4 March 1932 in Yorkshire, Northern England.[1]

As an engineer in England in the 1950s and 60s, Halton was associated with the development of the Concorde and the guidance system of the Bristol Bloodhound.[1][2]

Gough Whitlam appointed Halton Secretary of the Department of Transport in 1973, and Halton and his family moved to Canberra from Canada where they had lived since 1969.[3][4] The Halton family stayed in Canberra, with Charles Halton appointed to further senior positions in the Australian Public Service, as Secretary of the Department of Defence Support (1982-84), as Chairman leading a taskforce on Youth Allowance Administration (1984–85) and as Secretary of the Department of Communications (1986–87).[2]

Awards

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Charles Halton was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1983.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Waterford, Jack (29 October 2013). "Mathematician figured it all out as Australia's first federal transport tsar". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Hawke, Robert (23 July 1985). "Untitled" (Press release). Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
  3. ^ Davidson, Gay (26 September 1973). "Canadian to head amalgam of DCA, Transport". The Canberra Times. ACT. p. 1.
  4. ^ Malone, Paul (November 2006), "Chapter 19: Taking the 'Hospital Pass' – Jane Halton, Department of Health and Ageing", Australian Department Heads Under Howard: Career Paths and Practice (Collected articles from the Canberra Times), ANU E Press and ANZSOG, ISBN 1-920942-83-1, archived from the original on 11 January 2014

References and further reading

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Government offices
Preceded by Secretary of the Department of Communications
1986 – 1987
Succeeded byas Secretary of the Department of Transport and Communications
New title
Department established
Secretary of the Department of Defence Support
1982 – 1984
Department abolished
Preceded by Secretary of the Department of Transport
1973 – 1982
Succeeded byas Secretary of the Department of Transport and Construction
Succeeded byas Secretary of the Department of Aviation
Preceded by Director-General of the Department of Civil Aviation
1973
Succeeded by
Himself
as Secretary of the Department of Transport