Lawrence John Daniels (11 August 1916 – 16 September 1994) was a senior Australian public servant and policymaker.

Life and career

Laurie Daniels was born in Adelaide on 11 August 1916. He left school, for Sydney, at the age of 17 and won an

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 ...

job at the

Australian Taxation Office The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is an Australian statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Australian federal taxation system, superannuati ...

(ATO). Daniels moved to

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

in 1946 with the ATO. In 1973, Daniels 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 Security The Department of Social Security (DSS) was a governmental agency in the United Kingdom from 1988 to 2001. The old abbreviation is still often used informally. Advertisements for rented accommodation used to describe prospective tenants who wou ...

, where he stayed until 1977. In 1977 he became Secretary of the

Department of the Capital Territory The Department of the Capital Territory was an Government of Australia, Australian government Government department, department that existed between December 1972 and March 1983. Scope Information about the department's functions and/o ...

, serving a five-year term. At the end of his Department of Capital Territory appointment, Daniels retired, having served 47 years in the public service. Daniels died of cancer on 16 September 1994.

Awards and honours

Daniels was made 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 1972. In 1979 he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

. In 2009, the

Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. History Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamatio ...

established the Laurie Daniels Scholarship to commemorate Daniels' life and his contribution to the University, particularly as a founding member of the University Senate.

References

1916 births 1994 deaths Australian Companions of the Order of the Bath Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian public servants Deaths from cancer in Australia {{Australia-gov-bio-stub