Geoffrey Lee Miller (26 January 194210 October 2014) was a senior Australian public servant.

Life and career

Geoff Miller was born in

Grafton, New South Wales Grafton ( Bundjalung-Yugambeh: Gumbin Gir) is a city in the Northern Rivers region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is located on the Clarence River, approximately by road north-northeast of the state capital Sydney. The closest m ...

on 26 January 1942. For high school, he attended

Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School Farrer may refer to People * Alisha Farrer (born 1943), Australian actress and model * Austin Farrer (1904–1968), English theologian, philosopher, and friend of C. S. Lewis * Buster Farrer (1936-), South African cricketer * Claude Farrer (1862� ...

Tamworth, New South Wales Tamworth is a city and administrative centre of the north-western region of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Peel River (New South Wales), Peel River within the local government area of the Tamworth Regional Council, it is the largest ...

. His university studies were at the University of New England where he completed a degree in agricultural economics with first class honours. He began his career in a state agricultural department, before shifting to work for

CSR Limited CSR may refer to: Biology * Central serous retinopathy, a visual impairment * Cheyne–Stokes respiration, an abnormal respiration pattern * Child sex ratio, ratio between female and male births * Class switch recombination, a process that chan ...

. In 1986, Miller 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 Primary Industry. In July 1987 he became Associate Secretary of the

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid (using the branding Australian Aid), consular services and trade and inv ...

, but was again appointed as a Secretary in 1988, this time of the

Department of Primary Industries and Energy The Department of Primary Industries and Energy was an Australian government department that existed between July 1987 and October 1998. Scope Information about the department's functions and/or government funding allocation could be ...

. During the period December 1991 to June 1993, Miller was concurrently Secretary to the Department of Primary Industries and Energy and the Department of Tourism. As an associate secretary of the Department of Primary Industries and Energy, Miller bid for the position of Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation. He was defeated in a ballot for the position by 90 votes to 72 votes. The Australian Government spent more than $500,000 on the unsuccessful campaign to have Miller appointed to the position. Miller retired from the public service in February 1994. Miller died on 10 October 2014.

Awards

Miller was awarded Man of the Year in Australian Agriculture in 1978. In June 1993, Miller was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to primary industry, particularly in the area of agricultural economics and to international relations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Geoff 1942 births 2014 deaths Australian public servants Officers of the Order of Australia People from Grafton, New South Wales