Owen Peter Coaldrake (born 1951) is an Australian

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

and higher education administrator.

Early life

Peter Coaldrake was born Gregory Alan Naylor to a young mother Jeanette in

Marrickville Marrickville is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Marrickville is located south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the largest suburb in the Inner West Council local gove ...

. He was adopted as the only child of

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

missionaries, Keith and Sheila Coaldrake. He was educated in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cairn ...

and a PhD from

Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asian s ...

Career

Coaldrake was appointed by Queensland Premier

Wayne Goss Wayne Keith Goss (26 February 1951 – 10 November 2014) was Premier of Queensland from 7 December 1989 until 19 February 1996, becoming the first Labor Premier of the state in over thirty two years. Prior to entering politics, Goss was a solic ...

to be CEO of the Public Sector Management Commission.Universities Australia
He served as Vice-Chancellor of the

Queensland University of Technology Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a public research university located in the urban coastal city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. QUT is located on two campuses in the Brisbane area viz. Gardens Point and Kelvin Grove. The univ ...

between 2003 and 2017, replaced by

Margaret Sheil Margaret Mary Sheil is an Australian academic and the Vice Chancellor and President of Queensland University of Technology. Early years Margaret Sheil was born in Goulburn, New South Wales in August 1961. As a teenager, she regularly visited ...

. He was Chair of

Universities Australia Universities Australia (formerly the ''Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee'') is an organisation founded in Sydney in May 1920, which attempts to advance higher education through voluntary, cooperative and coordinated action. After being ba ...

. Coaldrake's decision to close QUT's school of humanities and human services drew the wrath of staff and academic unions. "Many humanities staff see this as the Philistines at the gate." From 2011 to 2016, Coaldrake was the chair of the

Queensland Heritage Council The Queensland Heritage Council is an independent statutory authority created by the Queensland Parliament under the ''Queensland Heritage Act 1992''. The Council advises and reports to the Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and ...

. Two notable listings added to the

Queensland Heritage Register The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...

under his leadership were the

Fantome Island Lock Hospital and Lazaret Sites Fantome Island Lock Hospital and Lazaret Sites is a heritage-listed former leper colony at Fantome Island, one of the Palm Island group in the Aboriginal Shire of Palm Island, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1926 to 1945 by Queensla ...

and the

Queensland Cultural Centre The Queensland Cultural Centre is a heritage-listed cultural centre at Grey Street, South Brisbane, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the South Bank precinct on the Brisbane River. It was built from 1976. The major compone ...

. Coaldrake was appointed an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 2011 for "distinguished service to higher education". In October 2017 Coaldrake became chair of the Queensland Performing Arts Trust. He was appointed chair of Jobs Queensland at the end of 2018. Since March 2019 Coaldrake has been a member of the Council of the University of Newcastle.

Publications

* Coaldrake, O.P. 1989 ''Working the System, Government in Queensland'' (University of Queensland Press) * Coaldrake, O.P. and Stedman, L. 1998. ''On the Brink. Australia's Universities Confronting their Future.'' (University of Queensland Press) * Coaldrake, O.P. and Stedman, L. ''Academic Work in the Twenty-First Century'' (DETYA, Occasional Paper Series 99-4).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coaldrake, Owen Peter 1951 births Living people Officers of the Order of Australia Queensland University of Technology vice-chancellors