Doctor David Charles is a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker. He is best known for his time as

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 Industry, Technology and Commerce The Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce was an Australian government department that existed between December 1984 and March 1993. History The Department was created by the Hawke Government in December 1984, a substantial ...

. He is currently a consultant at Insight Economics Pty Ltd.

Life and career

David Charles was born in the 1940s. He was educated at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

, graduating from a bachelor of economics degree with first class honours. He went on to gain his doctorate in economics from

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

. He joined the

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 ...

in the Tariff Board in 1972. Between 1973 and 1979 he worked in protection policy in various departments including the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of the Special Minister of State and the

Department of Business and Consumer Affairs The Department of Business and Consumer Affairs was an Australian government department that existed between December 1975 and May 1982. Scope Information about the department's functions and/or government funding allocation could be f ...

. In July 1979 he became head of the communications division in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. In 1982 he joined the Department of Industrial Relations as a deputy secretary. From March 1985, he was Secretary of the Department of Industry, Technology and Commerce. He left his post on 1 July 1990 to take up appointment as Consul-General in Berlin. At the time he left the department, he sparked controversy when he publicly criticised the economic policy of the Government of the day. Prime Minister Bob Hawke told media that if public servants were allowed to make public criticism of policy, the Government's position would become "untenable". Hawke issued a press release at the time to reprimand Charles, stating that he had seriously considered revoking Charles' appointment as Consul-General in Berlin. ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...

'' offered a different opinion to Hawke, stating "it would be unfortunate if this episode had the effect of making senior public servants reluctant to give interviews in their areas of expertise." Charles left the public service after returning from Berlin, co-founding the Allen Consulting Group in Melbourne. Charles is currently a director at Insight Economics Pty Ltd.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, David Living people Australian public servants Year of birth missing (living people)