Barrie Graham Dexter (15 July 1921
– 13 April 2018) was an Australian senior diplomat and public servant in the

Department of External Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

and the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.

Early life

Born on 15 July 1921, Dexter was brought up in a series of Anglican vicarages and educated on a scholarship at Geelong Grammar School. His father had fought in the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

Department of External Affairs

Dexter joined the Department of External Affairs as a cadet in 1948. He graduated from his cadetship alongside

Neil Currie Sir Neil Smith Currie (20 August 1926 – 30 July 1999) was a senior Australian public servant and policymaker. Life and career Neil Currie was born on 20 August 1926 in Mackay, Queensland. Currie began his Commonwealth public service career ...

and

Rowen Osborn Rowen Frederick Osborn (1924February 2012) was an Australian public servant and diplomat. Osborn was born in 1924. He was educated at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. In 1948 Osborn joined the Department of External Affairs as a cadet. He g ...

. Dexter went on to become a senior diplomat in the Department of External Affairs (called Department of Foreign Affairs from 1970 to 1987) with a number of postings including: * London and Lebanon (Arabic language training) 1950–51 * Cairo – Egypt (3rd Secretary) 1951–53 * Karachi – Pakistan (1st Secretary) 1956–58 * Washington – USA 1960–63 * Accra – Ghana (Acting High Commissioner) 1963–64 * Vientiane – Laos (as Ambassador) 1964–68 * Belgrade – Yugoslavia, Romania and Bulgaria (as Ambassador) 1977–80 * Ottawa – Canada (as High Commissioner) 1980–82 His "experience in countries with indigenous and ethnic minorities" resulted in him being appointed to the Commonwealth Council for Aboriginal Affairs, formed to advise on national policy.

Commonwealth Council for Aboriginal Affairs (1967–76) and Department of Aboriginal Affairs

Following the

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

in 1967 which removed provisions in the

Australian Constitution The Constitution of Australia (or Australian Constitution) is a constitutional document that is supreme law in Australia. It establishes Australia as a federation under a constitutional monarchy and outlines the structure and powers of the ...

which discriminated against

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

, the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party. Holt was born in S ...

invited Dexter to join the anthropologist

W. E. H. Stanner William Edward Hanley Stanner CMG (24 November 19058 October 1981), often cited as W.E.H. Stanner, was an Australian anthropologist who worked extensively with Indigenous Australians. Stanner had a varied career that also included journalism in ...

and

H. C. Coombs Herbert Cole "Nugget" Coombs (24 February 1906 – 29 October 1997) was an Australian economist and public servant. He is best known for having been the first Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, in which capacity he served from 1960 to 19 ...

to form the Council for Aboriginal Affairs (CAA) and advise on national policy. The Prime Minister also asked Dexter to be the Head of the Office of Aboriginal Affairs. The Council for Aboriginal Affairs (CAA) was a triumvirate, comprising Dexter, Coombs and Stanner. The Council for Aboriginal Affairs led Australian policy on Aboriginal development, landownership and identity politics for almost a decade. Dexter wrote that, when Holt drowned in December 1967, the advantages that the Council for Aboriginal Affairs had hoped for by being part of the Prime Minister's Department did not eventuate. The next Prime Minister John Gorton was not interested in Aboriginal affairs, and his department was unfriendly. Gorton subsequently appointed W.C. Wentworth as Minister-in-charge. Later when

William McMahon Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988) was an Australian politician who served as the 20th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1971 to 1972 as leader of the Liberal Party. He was a government minister for over 21 years, t ...

became Prime Minister, the Council for Aboriginal Affairs became part of what Dexter called "an improbable creation", the Department of the Environment, Aborigines and the Arts. Dexter wrote that Wentworth "would have liked to see us dissolved" but despite strong opposition from some parts of the Government, the Council for Aboriginal Affairs succeeded in developing an evolving stance on Aboriginal development, landownership and identity politics, its relationship with successive departments, ministers and prime ministers and also emerging indigenous bodies. The Council had a deep and complicated involvement in indigenous policy formation. Dexter held that position through successive political regimes, including the Whitlam Government, which began to implement much of the program Dexter, Stanner and Coombs endorsed: land rights, the movement to outstations, increased social welfare and community-based economies. Dexter also employed Charles Perkins to the role of Research Officer. The Council for Aboriginal Affairs was to function as a powerful, almost clandestine, agency that exercised considerable influence over federal Aboriginal affairs for more than a decade. The Council and Dexter were instrumental in the development of Land Title policy for Australia. Dexter was the inaugural Secretary of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs from its creation in late 1972 by

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...

, until his retirement from the Department in 1976. He returned to diplomatic duties. He was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in 1981.

ANU Conference in 2005

In 2005, the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

commemorated the centenary of the birth of W.E.H. Stanner, one of its late professors of anthropology, with a conference discussing his lifetime achievements. Dexter presented on the pivotal role of the Council for Aboriginal Affairs.

Personal life

Dexter was the fifth son of the Rev. and Mrs. W. E. Dexter, of East Malvern. Barrie married Judith McWalter Craig of Perth in 1950. His father performed the marriage ceremony. Dexter was the Honorary Secretary of the Turner National Football Club for many years. Dexter died in Canberra on 13 April 2018 at the age of 96.Barrie Dexter: diplomat and pioneer in Aboriginal affairs
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Books and publications

In 2015 Dexter published a memoir titled ''Pandora's Box'' about the Council for Aboriginal Affairs 1967-1976 in which he detailed his service in the pursuit of a better deal for

under six prime ministers from

to Malcolm Fraser. His book was widely publicised.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dexter, Barrie 1921 births 2018 deaths Ambassadors of Australia to Bulgaria Ambassadors of Australia to Laos Ambassadors of Australia to Romania Ambassadors of Australia to Yugoslavia Australian Army soldiers Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian Army personnel of World War II High Commissioners of Australia to Canada High Commissioners of Australia to Ghana People educated at Geelong Grammar School Royal Australian Navy officers Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom Australian expatriates in Lebanon Australian expatriates in Pakistan Australian expatriates in the United States Expatriates in Ghana Ambassadors to Laos Public servants from Melbourne People from Yarra Ranges Military personnel from Melbourne