MS 8096
Papers of Sir Frederick Wheeler (1914-1994)



Summary

Creator: Wheeler, Sir Frederick, 1914-1994

Title: Papers of Sir Frederick Wheeler

Date range: 1924-1994

Extent: 9.58 metres (42 boxes)

Reference number: MS 8096


Administrative Information

Access

Part available for research, part permission required for research and part not available for research.  Not for loan.

Available for research:
Series 1-2;
Series 3 (except for Item 41);
Series 4;
Series 5 (except for two documents in Series 5, Folder 14);
Series 6;
Series 7 (except for one document in Series 7, Folder 26);
Series 8;
Series 10;
Series 11.

Permission required for research:
Series 9.

Not available for research (under the Archives Act):
Series 3, Item 41 (until 1 January 2010);
Series 5, two documents from Folder 14 (until 1 January 2010);
Series 7, one document from Folder 26 (until 1 January 2013).

Provenance

The papers were acquired by the Library in two instalments. The first was received from Sir Frederick Wheeler in 1971 and the second from his son Philip Wheeler in 1995.


Scope and Content Note

The bulk of the papers in this collection comprise files which relate to Wheeler’s time as Chairman of the Public Service Board (1960-71) and as Secretary of the Commonwealth Treasury (1971-79).

There are a large number of files of ‘green’ copies of Wheeler’s outward correspondence, memoranda and circulars, created when he was Chairman of the Public Service Board. They have been arranged by Wheeler into several categories, and this arrangement has been retained.

There are also biographical and subject files maintained by Wheeler and containing material mostly accumulated after his retirement in 1979, appointment diaries (1961-94) and papers relating to Wheeler’s association with the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and the Commonwealth Club in Canberra.

There are very few personal papers in this collection. There are also no papers relating to Wheeler’s early career and very few relating to his time with the International Labour Organisation in Geneva. Correspondence in Series 1 comprises mostly short letters, either expressing support for Wheeler during a time of crisis in 1975 or congratulating him on his retirement in 1979. Correspondents include Sir Arthur Tange, Lady Violet Braddon, Sir John Bunting, H.C. Coombs, Sir Ernest Coates, Sir James Darling, Sir John Egerton, Bill Hayden, Bob Law-Smith, James McNeill, Sir Robert Menzies, Sir John Nott, Sir John Overall, Sir James Plimsoll, Ross Shelmerdine, Jim Short, Keith Sinclair, David Smith, Sir Geoffrey Yeend and Gough Whitlam. Series 2 also contains letters from Sir Douglas Copland, J.B. Chifley, Sir William Dunk and Norman Watt.

The files in this collection have been grouped into series by the Library. However, Wheeler’s file titles have been retained and folder descriptions in each series commence with this title.

The family has retained two files consisting of memorabilia and news of ILO alumni, which are largely of family interest.


Biographical Note

1914 Born 9 January, the son of A.H. Wheeler

1920-23 Trinity Grammar School, Melbourne

1924-29 Scotch College, Melbourne

1930-39 Officer of the State Savings Bank of Victoria

1939 Married Peggy Hilda Bell

1939 Bachelor of Commerce, University of Melbourne

1939 Seconded to the Commonwealth Prices Branch as Economic Assistant to the Prices Commissioner

1939 Research Officer, Department of the Treasury

1941-47 Secretary, Financial and Economic Committee

1944 Member of Australian Delegation to the International Monetary Conference, Bretton Woods, USA and the British Commonwealth Conference, London

1946 Assistant Secretary, Department of the Treasury

1947-49 Secretary, Investment and Employment Committee

1948 Delegation member, led by Prime Minister J.B. Chifley, Economic and Financial Discussions, London

1948 Delegation member, led by Minister for External Affairs H.V. Evatt, to Prime Ministers’ Conference, London

1948-51 Treasury observer, Commonwealth Bank Advisory Council

1949 First Assistant Secretary, Department of the Treasury

1949 Delegation member, led by Prime Minister Chifley, to the Prime Ministers’ Conference, London

1949 Delegation member, led by Minister for Post-war Reconstruction John Dedman, to the British Commonwealth Conference of Finance Ministers, London

1949 Delegation leader, General Economic and Trade Talks, New Zealand

1950 Delegation member, led by Minister for External Affairs Percy Spender, to British Commonwealth Conference, Colombo

1950 Delegation member, led by Prime Minister R.G. Menzies, to United Kingdom and United States of America

1950 Delegation leader, negotiations for first contract with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

1952 Acting Secretary to the Treasury

1952 Appointed an Officer of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire

1953-60 Treasurer-comptroller of the International Labour Office (ILO), Geneva

1960-71 Chairman, Commonwealth Public Service Board

1962 Promoted an Ordinary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, in recognition of outstanding public service

1967 Created a Knight Bachelor for distinguished public service

1966-69 President, Commonwealth Club, Canberra

1969-72 Member, International Civil Service Advisory Board

1970 Australian Government representative on the Joint Committee on the Public Service set up by the ILO Governing Body

1971-79 Secretary to the Treasury

1975 Death of Peggy Wheeler

1975 Retired from the Commonwealth Public Service

1979 Appointed a Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia for public service

1979 Presented the Robert Garran Memorial Oration

1979-84 Director, Amatil Ltd

1979-86 Director, Alliance Holdings Ltd

1981-82 Member, Commonwealth Government Defence Review Committee

1984 Appointed a Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Public Administration, in recognition of an outstanding contribution made to the achievement of the Institute’s objectives

1991-94 National President, Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

Sir Frederick Wheeler died in Canberra on 5 August, 1994. He was survived by three children.


Series List

1 Correspondence, 1959-94

2 Documents, 1924-94

3 Diaries and address books, 1961-94

4 Commonwealth Public Service Board, 1961-71

5 Commonwealth Treasury, 1951-88

6 Speeches, 1962-91

7 Biographical files, 1949-94

8 Subject files, 1950-93

9 Commonwealth Club, 1977-94

10 Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, 1987-94

11 Miscellaneous, 1945-91


Series Description

Series 1 Correspondence, 1959-94

This series contains non-official correspondence on topics which include job offers, Scotch College, retirement functions held for Wheeler (1979), personal references he wrote and disposition of his papers.

The folders entitled ‘Unsolicited testimonials’ contain two main groups of papers. The first comprises letters expressing support for Wheeler when he came under attack from the Whitlam Government, which reportedly wanted to remove him from the Treasury in 1975. Correspondents include Lady Braddon, Sir John Bunting, Sir James Darling, James McNeill, Sir Robert Menzies, Sir John Nott, Sir John Overall, Ross Shelmerdine, Jim Short, Keith Sinclair and David Smith. The second group contains letters from well wishers on his retirement. Correspondents include Sir Arthur Tange, H.C. Coombs, Sir Ernest Coates, Sir John Egerton, Bill Hayden, Bob Law-Smith, Sir James Plimsoll, Sir Geoffrey Yeend and Gough Whitlam.

Folder

1 Jobs miscellaneous (1959-60, 1978-83): notes and correspondence, mostly relating to approaches from various organisations seeking Wheeler’s involvement with them in some capacity

2-3 Unsolicited testimonials (1971-88)

4 Untitled file: guest lists and correspondence relating to functions held when Wheeler retired as Secretary to the Treasury, 1979

5 Disposition of official papers (1979-1993): lists of official papers and correspondence with officers from the Department of the Treasury and the National Library of Australia regarding their disposal

6 Old Scotch (1981-93): correspondence and official memorabilia relating to the Old Scotch Collegians’ Association, of which Wheeler was a member

7 References given (1984-92): correspondence related to personal references provided by Wheeler

8 Miscellaneous (1989-94): comprises mostly requests for interviews and invitations to attend functions

Series 2 Documents, 1924-94

The papers in this series relate to Wheeler’s personal history and professional interests. Included are school reports from Scotch College (1924-29), a book of his university lecture notes and two letters Wheeler wrote to his parents (1952). Correspondents include Sir Douglas Copland, J.B. Chifley, Sir William Dunk (Wheeler’s predecessor as Chair of the Public Service Board) and G.P.N. (Norman) Watt.

Folder

1-2 Personal history (1924-79): includes letters from D.B. Copland (1939) and J.B. Chifley (1947), school reports (1924-29), a book of university lecture notes, official passport (1974-79), extracts from papers Wheeler wrote in 1942 and 1943 and certificates for his degree and official awards he received

3-4 The move to the ILO and back to the PSB (1952-60): handwritten notes relating to Wheeler’s appointment as Treasurer to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), personal correspondence including letters to his parents (1952) and Norman Watt (1956) and correspondence relating to Wheeler’s appointment as Chairman of the Public Service Board (PSB), including correspondence with Sir William Dunk about the position (1957-60)

5 Order of Australia (1979) and Order of the British Empire (1962): memorabilia relating to the two awards

6 AAFICS (1991-94): newsletters of the Australian Association of Former International Civil Servants

7-8 RIPA (1983-94): newsletters and annual reports of the Royal Australian Institute of Public Administration

9 Mat Group (1983-94): programs of speakers and attendance lists for meetings of the General Management Group

Series 3 Diaries and address books, 1961-94

The appointment diaries in this series cover the period 1961-1994. Diaries for the period 1961-78 relate to Wheeler’s time as Chairman of the Public Service Board and Secretary of the Department of the Treasury. Diaries from 1979-94 cover the period from Wheeler’s retirement to his death. Included with the diaries are two teledexes and one address book, containing details of business contacts.

Note: Item 41 is not available for research until 1 January 2010.

Item

1 Diary, 1961

2 Diary, 1962

3 Diary, 1963

4 Diary, 1964

5-7 Diaries, 1965

8-9 Diaries, 1966

10 Diary, 1967

11 Diary, 1968

12 Diary, 1969

13 Diary, 1970

14-16 Diaries, 1971

17-18 Diaries, 1972

19-20 Diaries, 1973

21-24 Diaries, 1974

25-29 Diaries, 1975

30-33 Diaries, 1976

34-37 Diaries, 1977

38-40 Diaries, 1978

41 Diary, 1979  (This item is not available for research until 1 January 2010)

42 Diary, 1980

43 Diary, 1981

44 Diary, 1982

45 Diary, 1983

46 Diary, 1984

47 Diary, 1985

48 Diary, 1986

49 Diary, 1987

50 Diary, 1988

51 Diary, 1989

52 Diary, 1990

53 Diary, 1991

54 Diary, 1992

55 Diary, 1993

56-57 Diaries, 1994

58-59 Teledexes

60 Address book

Series 4 Commonwealth Public Service Board, 1961-71

In 1961, Wheeler returned from Europe to take up the position of Chairman of the Commonwealth Public Service Board (PSB). He left the Board in 1971 to become Secretary to the Commonwealth Treasury.

The bulk of this series comprises extensive files of ‘green’ copies of outward correspondence, memoranda and circulars. They have been organised by Wheeler into various categories, and these have been retained by the Library.

There are two additional files, which also relate to this period, and they are listed first in the series.

Additional files

Folder

1 Handwritten notes of conversations, mostly with ‘EJB’ [Bunting?], from 30 January to 11 March 1968. Also notes (19 March 1968) about the PMG Motor Driver Dispute

2 List of PSB Second Division staff, 1971

Prime Minister

Folder

3: 12 February 1961-18 December 1962

4: 18 January 1973-30 June 1964

5: 21 July 1964-18 December 1965

6: 6 January 1966-27 April 1967

7: 1 May 1967-9 January 1968

8: 10 January 1968-20 March 1968

9: 19 March 1968-30 April 1968

10: 1 May 1968-30 October 1968

11: 6 November 1968-28 July 1969

12: 29 July 1969-27 April 1970

13: 1 May 1970-31 December 1970

14: 1 January 1970-28 October 1970

Prime Minister’s Department

Folder

15: Sir John Bunting, 27 February 1962-29 April 1964

16: Sir John Bunting, 30 April 1964-17 December 1965

17: Sir John Bunting, 13 January 1966-30 June 1967

18: Sir John Bunting, 23 June 1967-28 October 1971

19: C.L. Hewitt, 3 July 1967-1 August 1968

20: C.L. Hewitt, 2 August 1968-28 July 1969

21: C.L. Hewitt, 4 August 1969-29 August 1969

22: C.L. Hewitt, 1 September 1969-24 December 1970

23: Sir Lennox Hewitt, 6 January 1971-5 March 1971 (see also folder 64)

Heads of other Departments

Folder

24: Sir John Crawford, 10 November 1961-29 March 1962

25: Sir Donald Anderson (Department of Civil Aviation), 26 January 1962- 8 October 1971

26: Sir Henry Bland (Department of Labour and National Service), 26 January 1962-19 December 1966 (see also folder 60)

27: A.S. Reiher (Director-General, Department of Works), 25 January 1962-3 September 1971

28: T.A. Housley (Director-General, Posts and Telegraphs) 5 February 1962-10 December 1968

29: A.S. Cooley (Department of Supply), 8 February 1962-22 October 1971

30: D.H. McKay (Department of Trade and Industry), 19 February 1962-20 October 1971

31: Sir Arthur Tange (Department of Defence), 22 February 1962-19 October 1971

32: L.F. Bott (Department of National Development), 1 March 1962-27 October 1971

33: A.T. Carmody (Department of Customs and Excise), 5 March 1962-21 September 1971

34: L.B. Hamilton (Department of Social services ), 14 March 1962-17 June 1971

35: D.O. Hay (Department of External Territories), 16 March 1962-12 October 1971

36: Sir Keith Waller (Department of Foreign Affairs), 19 March 1962-28 October 1971

37: Sir Frederick Chilton (Repatriation Commission), 26 March 1962-9 September 1971

38: Sir Kenneth Bailey (Attorney-General’s Department), 30 March 1962-31 January 1964

39: S. Landau (Department of the Navy), 11 April 1962-17 June 1971

40: G. Warwick Smith (Department of the Interior), 30 March 1962-22 October 1971

41: Letters to Permanent Heads, 28 May 1963-25 September 1964

42: Letters to Permanent Heads, 28 September 1964-12 May 1966

43: E.T. Cain (Commissioner for Taxation), 23 April 1965-24 September 1971

44: B. White (Department of the Army), 29 June 1972-20 October 1971

45: F.J. Green (Department of the Air), 29 June 1964-17 June 1971

46: Sir Roland Wilson (Treasury), 26 September 1963-29 June 1974 (see also folder 53)

47: Sir Roland Wilson (Treasury), 2 July 1964-16 December 1965

48: C.W. Harders (Attorney-General’s Department), 19 February 1964-11 October 1971

49: J.F. Nimmo (Department of Housing), 21 April 1964-26 July 1971

50: Sir Peter Heydon (Department of Immigration), 24 May 1963-21 September 1971

51: W. Ives (Department of Primary Industry), 21 November 1962-1 October 1971

52: M.M. Summers (Department of Shipping and Transport), 23 July 1962-13 October 1971

53: Sir Roland Wilson (Treasury), 3 April 1962-24 September 1963 (see also folders 46-47)

54: Sir William Refshauge (Department of Health), 10 May 1962-18 October 1971

55: Sir Richard Randall (Treasury), 4 January 1966-22 December 1966

56: Sir Richard Randall (Treasury), 5 January 1967-31 July 1968

57: Sir Richard Randall (Treasury), 29 August 1969-28 October 1971

58: J.L. Knott (Deputy Australian High Commissioner), 23 May 1966-7 November 1968 (see also folder 61)

59: Sir Hugh Ennor (Department of Education and Science), 27 September 1966-12 October 1971

60: Sir Henry Bland (Labour and National Services), 3 January 1967-6 December 1967 (see also folder 26)

61: J.L. Knott (Posts and Telegraphs), 20 January 1969-26 October 1971 (see also folder 58)

62: P.H. Cook (Labour and National Service), 3 January 1968-23 October 1971

63: J.Q. Ewens (Office of the Parliamentary Counsel), 11 September 1970-15 September 1971

64: Sir Lennox Hewitt (Environment, Aborigines and the Arts), 18 March 1971-2 September 1971 (see also folder 23)

65: Treasury, 1 August 1968-22 August 1969

General external greens

Folder

66: 18 January 1963-2 August 1963

67: 5 August 1963-5 May 1964

68: 5 May 1964-24 December 1964

69: 4 January 1965-16 August 1965

70: 17 August 1965-10 June 1966

71: 14 June 1966-28 February 1967

72: 1 March 1967-31 August 1967

73: 1 September 1967-22 December 1967

74: 1 January 1968-26 June 1968

75: 28 June 1968-30 May 1969

76: 19 May 1969-27 February 1970

77: 2 March 1970-3 December 1970

78: 15 December 1970-28 September 1971

79: 29 September 1971-28 October 1971

Named correspondence files

Folder

80: President, ACTU, 17 March 1965-12 January 1971

81: Colonel Stubbs (Commonwealth Club), 18 February 1965-26 October 1971

82: Sir John Overall (National Capital Development Commission), 26 January 1962-1 October 1971

83: Sir William Hudson (Commissioner, Snowy Mountains Authority), 12 February 1962-23 August 1971

84: G. Polites (Australian Council of Employers’ Federation), 25 August 1969-26 August 1971

85: V.J.W. Skermer (Auditor-General’s Office), 8 May 1963-19 August 1971

86: M.C. Timbs (Australian Atomic Energy Commission), 27 September 1962-13 April 1970

87: T.W. Swan (Australian National University), 5 February 1962-12 November 1963

88: Sir John Crawford (Australian National University), 16 April 1962-21 May 1971

89: Sir Frederick White (CSIRO), 5 March 1962-18 February 1971

90: Chairman’s Circulars (Public Service Board), 8 December 1970-14 December 1970

Parliamentary correspondence

Folder

91: Members of Parliament, 22 February 1962-11 February 1966

92: Senators, 23 January 1962-5 December 1966

93: Parliamentary correspondence, 3 January 1967-21 December 1967

94: Leader of the Opposition, 9 March 1961-5 December 1966

95: Leader of the Opposition and Senators, 6 February 1967-20 October 1967

96: Parliamentary correspondence, 29 December 1967-30 December 1969

97: Members of Parliament, 9 January 1970-25 October 1971

Public Service Board

(See also folder 89)

Folder

98: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 31 May 1966-26 May 1967

99: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 5 June 1967-21 March 1968

100: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 15 May 1968-16 December 1968

101: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 16 December 1968-11 June 1969

102: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 7 July 1969-23 September 1969

103: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 26 September 1969-13 April 1970

104: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 18 April 1970-29 June 1970

105: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 15 July 1970-16 October 1970

106: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 21 October 1970-7 December 1970

107: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 15 February 1970-29 January 1971

108: Chairman’s circulars and letters, 30 January 1971-22 October 1971

Internal memoranda

Folder

109: General internal memoranda, 5 September 1963-30 April 1964

110: Assistant Commissioner (Arbitration), 2 April 1962-21 January 1963

111: T.T. Colquhoun, 9 April 1962-4 October 1968

112: Mr Whatman, 1 February 1963-26 October 1971

113: R.G. Harvey, 27 February 1963-30 August 1965

114: K.E. Grainger, 27 December 1962-24 August 1965 (see also folder 136)

115: R.J. Young, 16 January 1963-24 December 1963 (see also folders 132 and 141)

116: Secretary, Public Service Board, 23 January 1963-24 December 1963 (see also folder 131)

117: A.B. McFarlane, 5 June 1968-3 September 1969 (see also folder 139)

118: Assistant Commissioner, General Branch, 23 January 1963-8 July 1971

119: Assistant Commissioner, Recruitment and Training, 21 January 1963-27 February 1970

120: F.C. Nordek, 5 February 1963-5 December 1963 (see also folder 134)

121: J.E. Collings, 27 December 1962-21 October 1968 (see also folder 133)

122: F.C. Grey, 4 February 1963-28 September 1971

123: E.E. Crichton, 4 February 1963-13 October 1971

124: W.T. Gleeson, 25 February 1963-19 May 1971

125: E.S. Lightly, 22 February 1968-16 February 1971

126: G.H. Doyle, 4 February 1963-18 November 1963

127: Mr Temme, 4 February 1963-1 April 1963

128: Librarian, 20 February 1963-14 July 1967

129: Mr Lawrie, 23 January 1963-12 February 1968

130: A.H. Kaye, 24 January 1962-6 July 1962

131: Secretary, 10 January 1964-13 October 1971 (see also folder 116)

132: R.J. Young, 4 February 1964-19 December 1969 (see also folders 115 and 141)

133: J.E. Collings, 29 October 1968-28 October 1971 (see also folder 121)

134: F.C. Nordeck, 6 February 1964-31 October 1971 (see also folder 120)

135: Assistant Commissioner, Project Services Branch, 20 March 1964-26 August 1971

136-37: K.E. Grainger, 27 August 1965-26 March 1968 (see also folder 114)

138: Arbitration Division, 5 February 1964-4 January 1965

139: A.B. McFarlane, 18 December 1969-19 October 1971 (see also folder 117)

140: B.R. Hamilton, 15 March 1965-8 September 1971

141: R.J. Young, 9 February 1970-5 April 1971 (see also folders 115 and 132)

142: J.C. Conway, 19 September 1969-10 September 1971

143: Assistant Commissioner, Legislation Services and General Investigations Branch, 31 January 1969-13 October 1971

144: B.G. McCallum, 8 February 1965-4 April 1968

General internal correspondence

Folder

145: 5 December 1962-3 September 1963

146: 1 May 1964-14 October 1964

147: 5 January 1965-17 December 1965

148: 6 January 1966-6 November 1966

149: 10 November 1966-9 February 1968

150: 9 February 1968-10 February 1969

151: Minute papers, 23 December 1968-20 February 1964

152: General internal, 10 February 1969-27 October 1971

Inwards correspondence

These files comprise daily summaries of inward mail.

Folder

153: 14 December 1962-28 October 1964

154: 2 November 1964-14 August 1967

155: Notes for files, 13 January 1965-16 December 1966

156: Notes for files, 18 January 1967-2 December 1968

157: Inwards correspondence, 20 August 1967-20 June 1969

158: Notes for files, 2 December 1968-27 February 1970

159: Notes for files, 2 March 1970-27 October 1971

160: Inwards, 3 July 1969-31 December 1969

161: Inwards, 1 January 1970-30 June 1970

162: Inwards, 1 July 1970-30 December 1970

163: Unfiled copies of notes for files and correspondence, 29 October 1971

Series 5 Commonwealth Treasury, 1951-88

In 1971, Wheeler was appointed to the position of Secretary to the Treasury. He had some difficult challenges to deal with while in the position, including the controversial Khemlani Loans Affair (1974-75) and reported plans of the Whitlam Government to replace him in 1975. Wheeler’s reputation as a formidable bureaucrat proved well founded and he was able to weather these controversies, continuing as Secretary until his retirement in 1979.

This series comprises files of papers relating to Wheeler’s time as Secretary. They contain Wheeler’s personal notes (many brief and/or cryptic), press cuttings and copies of departmental minutes and reports.

See also Series 1 for related material.

Note: These folders are available for research with the exception of two documents within Folder 14, which are not available for research until 1 January 2010.

Folder

1 The original GFEP (with comparisons): lists of government officers and their salary progression over the period from 1951-1971

2 The move to the Treasury (1971): official correspondence relating to Wheeler’s appointment as Secretary and congratulatory notes from Billy Sneddon and Clyde Cameron

3 Treasury episodes, 1975: copies of departmental minutes, notes and correspondence relating to Economic Planning

4-6 Treasury episodes, 1st and 2nd halves of 1975: departmental minutes, press cuttings and a large collection of notes of phone calls, conversations, meetings, sequences of events and observations kept by Wheeler. Many of these papers relate to the reported plans of the Whitlam Government to remove Wheeler as Secretary in 1975.

7 Treasury episodes, 1976-84: departmental letters and minutes, notes by Wheeler (1976-78) and newspaper cuttings (1979-84)

8 Treasury to Coombs Commission: report on the Coombs Commission Seminar by John Stone (1975), a copy of the Treasury submission to the Commission (1974) and a draft of a Treasury paper entitled ‘Formation and coordination of economic policy: possible models for Australia’ (1975)

9-12 Untitled file, 1973-75: departmental correspondence, notes and cuttings, mostly relating to the Khemlani Loans Affair

13 Khemlani chronology (Prowse): report on the Khemlani loan proposals, 1975

14-15 Untitled file, 1977-79: departmental correspondence and notes relating to the court case of Sankey-v-Whitlam (two documents from Folder 14 are not available for research until 1 January 2010)

16 Treasury staff: staff listings (1975-78), cutting (1988)

17 Data on Permanent Heads: listings of departmental Permanent Heads prepared during the period 1977-86, one of which covers the period 1946-76

18 Data on Second Division officers: list of Second Division officers in Government Departments, 1978

19-20 Press cuttings, 1973-77: a collection of cuttings relating to the Treasury

Series 6 Speeches, 1962-91

This small group of papers consists of speeches, notes for speeches and related correspondence. Included are a bound copy of selected addresses and loose copies of speeches made during his period as Chairman of the Public Service Board for the period 1962-70, a speech presented as Secretary to the Treasury in 1972, notes for speeches made at functions for his retirement from the Treasury in 1978 and notes for occasional speeches made after his retirement.

There are also papers relating to Wheeler’s presentation for the Robert Garran Memorial Oration in 1979, entitled ‘The professional career public service: some reflections of a practitioner’. They include correspondence, notes and copies of the published text of his speech, which appeared in the Australian Journal of Public Administration.

Folder

1-2 Addresses and speeches by FW: bound copy of selected addresses, 1964-70 and loose copies of speeches, 1962-72

3 Occasional speeches: farewell speeches made by Wheeler on his retirement and speeches made after retirement, 1978-91

4-5 Garran Oration: correspondence, notes and copies of the published text of Wheeler’s presentation, 1979-80

Series 7 Biographical files, 1949-94

The biographical files in this series were compiled by Wheeler, and contain material relating to prominent people, mostly senior public servants. The bulk of the material was accumulated after his retirement in 1979. At the end of the series is a file of material relating to Wheeler himself, mostly cuttings, which he referred to as his ‘Ego’ file.

Note: These folders are available for research with the exception of one document within Folder 26, which is not available for research until 1 January 2013.

Folder

1 H.W. Arndt, 1985-94 R.D. Beale and Graham Glenn, 1985-86

2 M.A. (Tim) Beasely, 1989-92 , Sir Henry Bland, 1984-92

3 Buttsworth Group [Anne Buttsworth], 1985-94

4 Mike Codd, 1987-91

5 Tony Cole, 1979-94, Alan Carmody, 1978

6 Ian Castles, 1978-87

7 Alan Cooley, 1975-89, Kenneth Davidson and Gay Davidson, 1992-93, Ted Evans, 1993

8 Bernie Fraser, 1987-93, Sir Clarrie Harders, 1988

9 Sir Paul Hasluck, 1979-93

10 Sir Lennox Hewitt, 1979-81, Chris Higgins, 1984-90

11 Michael Keating, 1988-94

12 Sir Anthony Mason, 1989-94, Sir Leslie Melville, 1990-94

13-19 John Nethercote, 1989-94

20 R.S. [Bob] Parker, 1981-88, Don Sanders, 1992-93

21 Sir Keith Shann, 1978-79

22 Sir Keith Shann, 1978, 1988-89, Edward Shann, 1986-93

23 R.N. Spann, 1975

24 R.N. Spann, 1977-81

25-26 John Stone, 1973-78, 1982 (one document from Folder 26 is not available for research until 1 January 2013)

27-28 John Stone, 1978-93. Includes a tape of an interview of Stone by Doug Aiton of ABC Radio 3LO, August 1993.

29 Trevor Swan, 1974-76

30 Trevor Swan, 1971-89

31 Sir Arthur Tange, 1979-89

32 Sir Harold White, 1979-93

33-34 Bob Whitelaw, 1975-86

35 Greg Whitwell, 1984-87

36 Peter Wilenski, 1981-92, Sir Roland Wilson, 1986-92

37 Sir Geoffrey Yeend, 1978-93

38-40 Sir Frederick Wheeler, 1949-94

Series 8 Subject files, 1950-93

Wheeler maintained a small number of subject files, which contain papers and cuttings. The files are listed in this series, alphabetically, by title.

Folder

1 CPS reform: John Block, 1987, CPS reform: John Dawkins, 1983-84

2 Data etc on CPS, 1984-91, Data on Permanent Heads and Departments, 1993

3 Journalists think-tank etc, 1989-93

4 On Treasury, 1989-91

5 Reference data, 1989-93, The service UK & USA, 1950-80

Series 9 Commonwealth Club, 1977-94

Wheeler had a long association with the Commonwealth Club in Canberra. In 1966-69 he was President and from 1984 to 1993 was on the Election Committee, which was in charge of assessing applications for membership.

This series contains papers relating to Wheeler’s involvement with the Club, dating from 1977. They include correspondence, newspaper cuttings, agenda papers for Annual General Meetings (1977-94) and lists of candidates for membership (1984-92).

Note: Permission is required in order to view the contents of this series.

Folder

1 Correspondence and cuttings, 1981-93

2 Agenda papers for Annual General Meetings, 1977-94

3-4 Papers relating to the Election Committee, 1984-92

Series 10 Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, 1987-94

Wheeler’s association with the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust dated from 1965, when he was appointed as a Director. In 1991 he was elected National President and had been re-elected to this position shortly before his death in 1994.

Papers relating to Wheeler’s association with the Trust are contained in the series. They include reports of Annual General Meetings and lists of applicants for fellowships.

Folder

1 Papers relating to 1992 and 1994 Annual General Meetings

2 Reports of Annual General Meetings, 1987-92

3 Lists of applicants for fellowships, 1992-93

Series 11 Miscellaneous, 1945-91

This series comprises miscellaneous material accumulated by Wheeler.

Folder/Item

1 Official mailing list, n.d.

2-3 Papers relating to a Post-war Reconstruction Seminar, held at the Australian National University in 1981. Included is correspondence, a copy of Full employment in Australia: the genesis of a white paper by Selwyn Cornish and a 1945 copy of a government paper entitled Full employment in Australia.

4 A copy of ‘Chaos, Keynes or Controls? Drafting the Australian white paper on full employment, 1945’, a BA Honours thesis by Craig Wilcox, 1989

5 Four cassette tapes: Before the Senate, 1975, The Geneva 78’s, Interview with Sir Frederick Wheeler and Geoff Hyles, 1991 and The Ennor tape, n.d.


Box List

Box Series Folder/Item
1 1 1-8
2 1 9
2 2 1-6
3 2 7-9
3 3 1-4
4 3 5-18
5 3 19-24
6 3 25-29
7 3 30-37
8 3 38-57
9 3 58-60
9 4 1-2
10 4 3-8
11 4 9-13
12 4 14-19
13 4 20-28
14 4 29-40
15 4 41-48
16 4 49-58
17 4 59-66
18 4 67-73
19 4 74-77
20 4 78-90
21 4 91-97
22 4 98-103
23 4 104-107
24 4 108-114
25 4 115-130
26 4 131-144
27 4 145-151
28 4 152-158
29 4 159-163
30 5 1-7
31 5 8-13
32 5 14-19
33 5 20
33 6 1-5
34 7 1-7
35 7 8-13
36 7 14-20
37 7 21-26
38 7 27-33
39 7 34-39
40 7 40
40 8 1-5
41 9 1-4
41 10 1-3
42 11 1-5

February 2001
Last updated August 2009