Leslie Bruce Hamilton (4 July 191112 June 1989) was an Australian senior public servant and head of the Department of Social Services (later

Social Security Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

) between 1966 and 1973.

Life and career

Bruce Hamilton was born in Nook, Tasmania on 4 July 1911 to parents George Hamilton and Margaret Ann, née Peters. Hamilton began his

Australian Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the G ...

career in 1939 as Army Paymaster for Tasmania. He moved to Canberra in 1940. On 1 January 1966, Hamilton was appointed

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

of the Department of Social Services. When the Whitlam government was elected, the department was abolished and the new Department of Social Security established. Hamilton was Secretary of the new department for less than a month before he retired. During his time as head of the Social Services department, Hamilton broadened the department's scope by introducing legislation for deserted wives, for home care and for emergency relief. Hamilton's death was on 12 June 1989 at the Royal Canberra Hospital.

Awards

Hamilton was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1966 whilst a First Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Treasury. In June 1972 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire during his time as Director-General of the Social Services Department.

References

1911 births 1989 deaths Australian public servants Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire {{Australia-gov-bio-stub