Sir Philip Halford "Hal" Cook (10 October 19124 January 1990) was a senior Australian public servant, best known for his time heading the

Department of Labour and National Service The Department of Labour and National Service was an Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. ...

between 1968 and 1972.

Life and career

Hal Cook was born on 10 October 1912 in

Benalla Benalla is a small city located on the Broken River gateway to the High Country north-eastern region of Victoria, Australia, about north east of the state capital Melbourne. At the the population was 10,822. It is the administrative cen ...

, Victoria to parents Richard Osborne Cook and Elinor Violet May, née Cook. He 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 ...

of the

in January 1968, having worked in the Department since 1946. When the Whitlam government was elected in 1972, Cook was replaced by the incoming Minister for Labour,

Clyde Cameron Clyde Robert Cameron, (11 February 191314 March 2008), was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and served in the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1980, representing the Division of Hindmarsh. He w ...

, who wished to work with instead with

Ian Sharp Ian Sharp (born 13 November 1946, Clitheroe, Lancashire) is an English film and television director. He is best known for directing the SAS action thriller ''Who Dares Wins'' (1982) and directing the action sequences of the James Bond film ''G ...

for what media described as "personal" reasons. Cameron later claimed Cook had "put too much time and enthusiasm into preparing evasive answers" to questions in Parliament. Cook died on 4 January 1990 at Box Hill and was cremated.

Awards

Cook was appointed an Officer 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 o ...

in June 1965 whilst Assistant Secretary in the Victorian Department of Labour. He was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are t ...

in recognition of his service to the International Labour Organisation in June 1976. In 1992, the friends of Queen’s College library at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...

established the biennial Sir Halford Cook lecture to celebrate Cook's contribution as a student, fellow (1972–90) and council member (1978–90).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Hal 1912 births 1990 deaths Australian public servants Australian knights Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire University of Melbourne alumni People from Benalla