Peter Wilenski
Reformer
Geoffrey Hawker
(Australian Biographical Monographs 28)
Paperback, 104 pages, $19.95
ISBN: 9781923568440
August 2026 release
This is the first full biography of Dr Peter Wilenski AC, a medical doctor, senior Commonwealth public servant, diplomat, academic, prime ministerial adviser and reformer.
Born in Poland, in 1939, Peter was the only child of Jan Wilenski, a textile engineer, and Halina, née Glass, from a well-connected Jewish family. Halina and Peter escaped Europe and arrived in Sydney in 1941, while Jan followed in 1946.
After gaining his medical degree, Peter turned to politics, academia and public administration. He joined the Department of External Affairs, served overseas and became principal private secretary to Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. He later served as Special Adviser to the Coombs Royal Commission and secretary of the Department of Labour and Immigration under the Hawke government; he headed the departments of Education and Youth Affairs and Transport and Communications, and chaired the Public Service Board. He also served as Australia’s ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations before becoming secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1992. His career also included academic appointments, numerous publications, extensive cultural interests and a major review of the NSW Public Service. His distinguished service to Australia ended with his untimely death from cancer in 1994.
Geoffrey Hawker is an Associate Professor, School of International Studies, Macquarie University.
