Henry Bland (public servant)
Sir Henry Armand Bland | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 28, 1909 Randwick, Sydney, Australia |
| Died | November 8, 1997 (aged 87) |
| Occupation | Public servant |
| Years active | 1942–1976 |
| Known for | Secretary of the Department of Defence (1968–1970), Chairman of the ABC (1976) |
Sir Henry Armand Bland (28 December 1909 – 8 November 1997) was a prominent Australian public servant who held the position of Secretary of the Department of Defence between 1968 and 1970.
Life and career
Born in Randwick, Sydney, Bland was the son of Francis Bland. His mother passed away shortly after his birth. He received his secondary education at Sydney Boys High School before pursuing a law degree at the University of Sydney, where he graduated with honours and qualified as a solicitor in 1935. Between 1940 and 1941, he served as official secretary and briefly as Agent-General for New South Wales in London, subsequently providing advice on civil defence matters.
Bland began his career in the Australian Public Service in 1942 as Principal Adviser to the Director-General of Manpower. In 1946, he advanced to Assistant Director of Employment within the Department of Labour and National Service. He was appointed Secretary of this department in 1952 and held the role until 1967, during which time he played a key role in establishing the Commonwealth Employment Service.
In 1968, Bland was named Secretary of the Department of Defence, a post he retained until his retirement in 1970. His leadership saw the introduction of important administrative changes, notably a "rolling" five-year defence plan aimed at improving procurement processes by encouraging earlier submissions from military service departments to better meet Australia's defence requirements.
Following his retirement from Defence, Bland undertook a review of land transport in Victoria for the state government during 1971–72. The resulting Bland Report advocated for the closure of numerous branch lines and passenger services operated by Victorian Railways.
In July 1976, Bland was appointed Chairman of the ABC, succeeding acting chairman Dr. Earle Hackett. However, his tenure lasted only five months due to conflicts with ABC staff—who perceived him as "Malcolm Fraser's hatchet man"—and disputes with the Fraser government over maintaining the Staff Commissioner seat on the ABC Board, held by Marius Webb, with whom Bland had ongoing disagreements.
Awards
In recognition of his service, Bland was knighted as a Knight Bachelor in 1965.