Robert McKeeman Oakley

Last updated

Robert Oakley

CBE
Comptroller-General of the Department of Trade and Customs
In office
1 May 1923 –7 March 1927
Personal details
Born
Robert McKeeman Oakley

(1871-03-28)28 March 1871
Warrnambool, Victoria
Died27 August 1927(1927-08-27) (aged 56)
Elsternwick, Melbourne, Victoria
Resting placeCheltenham cemetery
Nationality Flag of Australia.svg Australian
Spouse(s)Serena Laura Blamey
(m. 1896–1927; his death)
OccupationPublic servant

Robert McKeeman Oakley CBE (28 March 1871 –27 August 1927) was a senior Australian public servant. He was Comptroller-General of Customs between 1923 and 1927.

Departmental secretary senior public servant of a Commonwealth or state government department

In the administration of government in Australia, a departmental secretary is the most senior public servant of a Commonwealth or state government department, charged with leading the department on a day-to-day basis.

Contents

Life and career

Oakley was born in Warrnambool, Victoria on 28 March 1871 to parents Elizabeth Oakley (née McKeeman) and Thomas Oakley. [1]

Oakley was an officer in the Victorian Artillery Garrison from 1892 to 1902. [2]

In 1889, he joined the Victorian Customs Department as a Clerk, and became a Commonwealth Public Servant in 1901 when the Federal Department of Trade and Customs was formed. [3]

Australian Public Service federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia

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 Government of Australia. The Australian Public Service was established at the Federation of Australia in 1901 as the Commonwealth Public Service and modeled on the Westminster system and United Kingdom's Civil Service. The establishment and operation of the Australian Public Service is governed by the Public Service Act 1999 of the Parliament of Australia as an "apolitical public service that is efficient and effective in serving the Government, the Parliament and the Australian public". The conduct of Australian public servants is also governed by a Code of Conduct and guided by the APS Values set by the Australian Public Service Commission.

The Department of Trade and Customs was an Australian government department that existed between 1901 and 1956. It was one of the inaugural government departments of Australia established at federation.

Between May 1923 and his retirement in March 1927, Oakley was Comptroller-General of the Department of Trade and Customs. [1]

Oakley died suddenly of angina pectorisat his home in Melbourne on 27 August 1927. [1] He left in his will funds, the income of which was to provide a scholarship or bursary at Queen's College, University of Melbourne. [4]

University of Melbourne Australian public university located in Melbourne, Victoria

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. Melbourne's main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb north of the Melbourne central business district, with several other campuses located across Victoria.

Awards

Oakley was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 1923 whilst Deputy Comptroller-General in the Department of Trade and Customs. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 McDonald, D.I., "Oakley, Robert McKeeman (1871–1927)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University, archived from the original on 28 March 2015
  2. ↑ Collar - Tunic, Victorian Garrison Artillery, 1892-1902, Museum Victoria, archived from the original on 16 April 2015
  3. ↑ CP 195: Robert McKeeman OAKLEY CBE, VD, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 16 April 2015
  4. ↑ Continuation Scholarships, University of Melbourne, retrieved 16 April 2015
  5. ↑ "Search Australian Honours: OAKLEY, Robert McKeeman, The Order of the British Empire - Commander (Civil)", itsanhonour.gov.au, Australian Government, archived from the original on 16 April 2015
Government offices
Preceded by
Percy Whitton 		Comptroller-General of the Department of Trade and Customs
1923 – 1927		Succeeded by
Ernest Thomas Hall


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