Peter Lawler

Background

Peter Lawler was born on 23 March 1921.

Education

University of Sydney.

Career

He served in senior roles under Prime Ministers Menzies, Holt, McEwen, Gorton, McMahon, Whitlam, Fraser and Hawke, and ended his career as Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy Secretary He joined the Department of Postwar Reconstruction in 1944, then the Prime Minister"s Department in 1950. In 1951, along with Kenneth Herde, he was seconded to the United Kingdom Cabinet Office in London to do research on the workings of government, with a view to bringing back ideas that could be applied within the Australian context.

He remained there until 1953, and also undertook postgraduate training in several European cities.

Lawler"s and Herde"s recommendations led to Robert Menzies" decision to establish a Cabinet Office in Canberra as a separate and discrete part of the Prime Minister"s Department. He became a Deputy Secretary of the Prime Minister"s Department in 1964.

He wrote the 1966 Cabinet decision that led to the abolition of the White Australia policy. In October 1967, as Acting Secretary, he was involved in the Very Important Person Aircraft affair that threatened the premiership of Menzies" successor Harold Holt, but used his experience and shrewdness to protect himself and escape the odium that was visited on Sir John Bunting.

In 1968, Prime Minister John Gorton made the Cabinet Office a department in its own right (generally believed to be his way of sidelining Sir John Bunting), and Lawler joined it as Deputy Secretary to Bunting, remaining there until March 1971 when the new prime minister William McMahon merged it with the Prime Minister"s Department to create the new Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

From 1972 to 1975 Peter Lawler was Secretary of the Department of the Special Minister of State, serving the Whitlam Government, then Secretary of the Department of Administrative Services from 1975 to 1983, serving the Fraser Government. After Sir Robert Mark"s report on the organisation of protective services in the wake of the February 1978 Sydney Hilton bombing, the Fraser Government set up a small taskforce, headed by Peter Lawler, to implement the recommended creation of the Australian Federal Police. In March 1983 the incoming Hawke Government appointed Lawler Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland and Ambassador to the Holy See, serving until his retirement in 1986.

He was resident in Ireland, except for four months prior to Pope John Paul II"s visit to Australia.

Lawler lobbied to have the post of Ambassador to the Holy See permanently resident in Rome, but this did not occur until Tim Fischer"s appointment in 2008. Peter Lawler was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the 1965 New Year"son

Achievements

• Peter Lawler was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the 1965 New Year"s He was knighted in the 1981 Queen"s Birthday In 1986 he received the papal honour of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Pius IX. He was awarded the Centenary Medal on 1 January 2001.

Membership

He was a Member of the Council of the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences for many years.