John Mellors

John Mellors is a former senior Australian public servant. Between 1994 and 1997 he was Secretary of the Department of Administrative Services.

John Mellors
Secretary of the Department of Administrative Services
In office 20 April 1994 – 9 October 1997
Personal details
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Public servant

Life and career

Mellors was born in London in 1947, gained a degree in economics and accounting from the University of Bristol in 1968 and held academic positions at UK universities from 1969 to 1973. In 1973 he joined the staff of the European Commission in Brussels before being recruited to the Australian Public Service. He became an Australian citizen in 1978.

Mellors was Director-General of the Victorian Department of Planning and Urban Growth between 1988 and 1990, before taking up a position as Executive General Manager in the Corporate Branch of the Department of Administrative Services.[1]

Between 1994 and 1997, Mellors was Secretary of the Department of Administrative Services.[2]

Mellors served in the Australian Public Service for 22 years,[3] but in 1997, when his department was abolished, he was given just five days' notice to leave.[3] According to political journalist Laurie Oakes, Mellors felt angry over the Government's decision for his department, and that he and his executive staff had been wronged by the Government of the day.[4]

Mellors subsequently worked as an international development consultant on both short- and longer -term assignments, primarily in South East Asia and the South Pacific, before retiring in 2013.

Awards

Mellors received a Centenary Medal in 2001 for service to Australian society through public service leadership.[5]

References

1. Keating, Paul (20 April 2014). "Statement by the Prime Minister" (Press release). Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
2. CA 7871: Department of Administrative Services [IV], Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 5 April 2014
3. "Do your job, get the sack - every good rort needs a scapegoat", The Sydney Morning Herald, 27 October 2000, archived from the original on 17 July 2001, The secretary, John Mellors, was sacked on five days' notice, by phone, by Max the Axe. After 22 years' distinguished service, he was offered no other position.
4. Oakes, Laurie (2009), Power Plays: The real stories of Australian politics (2nd ed.), Sydney: Hachette Australia, ISBN 978-0-7336-2456-8, John Mellors is an angry man. The former head of the federal Department of Administrative Services, abolished as a result of the government's embarrassment over travel rorts, clearly believes that he and most of his former senior officers are victims of vindictive payback.
5. Search Australian Honours: MELLORS, John, Australian Government, archived from the original on 4 April 2014

Government offices
Preceded by Andrew Podger	Secretary of the Department of Administrative Services 1994 – 1997	Succeeded by Peter Boxall as Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration