{{Short description|Australian public servant (1947–2025)}} {{about|the Australian public servant|the songwriter|Tony Cole (musician)}} {{Use Australian English|date=December 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO|size=100}} | name = Tony Cole | image = | image_size = | office1 = Secretary of the Department of Human Services and Health | term_start1 = 23 December 1993 | term_end1 = 1 July 1994 | office2 = Secretary of the Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services | term_start2 = 24 March 1993 | term_end2 = 23 December 1993 | office3 = Secretary of the Department of the Treasury | term_start3 = 14 February 1991 | term_end3 = 24 March 1993 | caption = | birth_name = Anthony Stuart Cole | birth_date = {{birth date|1947|03|17|df=y}} | birth_place = Macksville, New South Wales, Australia | death_date = {{death date and age|2025|11|08|1947|03|17|df=y}} | death_place = | occupation = Public servant | years_active = | website = | parents = | siblings = | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = University of Sydney }}
'''Anthony Stuart Cole''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO}} (17 March 1947 – 8 November 2025) was an Australian public servant. He served the Commonwealth in various capacities for over 25 years.
==Background== Cole was born in Macksville, New South Wales on 17 March 1947.<ref name="NAA CP 617">{{citation|title=CP 617: Anthony Stuart COLE|url=http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/SearchOld.asp?Number=CP+617|publisher=National Archives of Australia|accessdate=17 January 2014}}</ref> He attended Macksville High School.<ref name="NAA CP 617"/> He died on 8 November 2025, at the age of 78.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kehoe |first1=John |title=Paul Keating leads tributes for 'Treasury star' Tony Cole |url=https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/paul-keating-leads-tributes-for-treasury-star-tony-cole-20251109-p5n8uc |access-date=29 November 2025 |publisher=The Australian Financial Review |date=9 November 2025}}</ref>
==Career== In 1968, Cole graduated with a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Sydney and joined the Department of the Treasury.<ref name=Bloomberg/><ref name=DecadeTreasury>{{citation|title=1991–2001 Key outcomes and developments|work=The Treasury Annual Report 2000–2001|publisher=Department of the Treasury|author=Department of the Treasury|year=2001|url=http://archive.treasury.gov.au/documents/109/HTML/Part3_6.asp|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704140604/http://archive.treasury.gov.au/documents/109/HTML/Part3_6.asp|archivedate=4 July 2012}}</ref>
From 1979, Cole spent two years as a senior World Bank official, saying these years were crucial in developing his views on economic policy.<ref>{{citation|first=Shaun|last=Goldfinch|title=Remaking New Zealand and Australian Economic Policy: Ideas, Institutions and Policy Communities|page=49|year=2000|isbn=0 86473 393 3|publisher=Victoria University Press}}</ref> Shortly after in 1983 Cole was appointed principal private secretary to Treasurer Paul Keating, working in the role until October 1985.<ref name=DecadeTreasury/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article129094901|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=8 February 1991|page=3|title='Open mind' over Treasury posting|first=Verona|last=Burgess|author-link=Verona Burgess}}</ref>
He was appointed the thirteenth Secretary of the Department of the Treasury in 1991, remaining in the role until 1993 when he transferred to another role as Secretary of the Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services (later Department of Human Services and Health).<ref name=DecadeTreasury/><ref name="NAA CA 7660">{{citation|title=CA 7660: Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services, Central Office|url=http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/SearchOld.asp?Number=CA+7660|publisher=National Archives of Australia|accessdate=2 December 2013}}</ref> There was speculation at the time that Cole was removed as Treasury Secretary due to evidence he gave to a Senate inquiry into Victoria's debt blowout, the Treasurer, John Dawkins, denied the suggestion, stating that his move was just a normal part of the re-establishment of administration following an election.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127205361|title=Dawkins denies Cole was 'punished'|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=30 March 1993|page=2|agency=Australian Associated Press}}</ref>
Cole left the public service in 1994, aged 47.<ref name=DecadeTreasury/> When he left, John Taylor, the Commonwealth Auditor-General at the time, told media "it's a tragedy that somebody of the standing and even future potential of Tony Cole should be lost to public service".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118174202|first=Verona|last=Burgess|author-link=Verona Burgess|title=Departure of Cole 'should not have been allowed'|date=26 June 1994|page=3|newspaper=The Canberra Times}}</ref>
After leaving the public sector, Cole was a Senior Investment Consultant and Executive in Mercer's investment consulting business for 17 years, including heading the business in the Asia Pacific region for more than five years.<ref name=Bloomberg>{{citation|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=227968496&ticker=AEF:AU&previousCapId=32858800&previousTitle=WOT%20CMBS%20Pty%20Ltd.|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230131918/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=227968496&ticker=AEF:AU&previousCapId=32858800&previousTitle=WOT%20CMBS%20Pty%20Ltd.|archivedate=30 December 2013|title=Executive Profile: Anthony Stuart Cole AM|website=Bloomberg Businessweek}}</ref> He served as Non-Executive Director for Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation and Australian Ethical Investments, and was a member of the Expert Panel for the Fair Work Commission's Annual wage review.
In 2013 and 2014, he was a member of the Abbott government's National Commission of Audit, which was established to improve the Australian government's budget.<ref>{{cite news | title=Australia's budget is deteriorating, says commission of audit head | first=Daniel|last= Hurst | date=15 January 2014 | work=The Guardian | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/15/australias-budget-deteriorating-audit-head|archivedate=16 January 2014 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116062225/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/15/australias-budget-deteriorating-audit-head}}</ref>
==Awards== In 1995, Cole was honoured as an Officer of the Order of Australia, in recognition of service to the development of public sector policy.<ref>{{citation|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/885098|title=Search Australian Honours: COLE, Anthony Stuart|publisher=Australian Government|accessdate=31 December 2013}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{S-gov}} {{s-bef|before=Himself|as=Secretary of the Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services}} {{s-ttl|title=Secretary of the Department of Human Services and Health|years=1993–1994}} {{s-aft|after=Stephen Duckett}} {{s-bef|before=Chris Conybeare|as=Secretary of the Department of Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs}} {{s-ttl|title=Secretary of the Department of Health, Housing, Local Government and Community Services|years=1993|rows=2}} {{s-aft|after=Himself|as=Secretary of the Department of Human Services and Health|rows=2}} {{s-bef|before=Stuart Hamilton|as=Secretary of the Department of Health, Housing and Community Services}} {{s-bef|before=Chris Higgins}} {{s-ttl|title=Secretary of the Department of the Treasury|years=1991–1993}} {{s-aft|after=Ted Evans}} {{s-end}}
{{Secretaries of the Department of the Treasury of Australia}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Tony}} Category:1947 births Category:2025 deaths Category:Officers of the Order of Australia Category:Secretaries of the Department of the Treasury of Australia Category:Secretaries of the Australian Government Health Department Category:People from Macksville, New South Wales