Arthur Tange
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Sir Arthur Tange AC, CBE |
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| Secretary of the Department of Defence | |
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In office 2 March 1970 – 16 August 1979 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Henry Bland |
| Succeeded by | Bill Pritchett |
| Australian High Commissioner to India | |
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In office 1965–1969 |
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| Preceded by | Sir James Plimsol |
| Succeeded by | Sir Patrick Shaw |
| Secretary of the Department of External Affairs | |
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In office 25 January 1954 – 4 April 1965 |
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| Preceded by | Alan Watt |
| Succeeded by | Sir James Plimsol |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 August 1914 Gosford, New South Wales |
| Died | 10 May 2001 (aged 86) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Sir Arthur Harold Tange AC, CBE (18 August 1914 – 10 May 2001) was a prominent Australian senior public servant of the middle to late 20th century.
A considerable intellect, he was one of the most influential people in the government of Australia for nearly 30 years, earning him respect and disdain in equal measure. He was best known for his controversial role in reforming the organisation of the administration of the Australian Department of Defence in the 1970s. He is also less well known for having laid the foundations of the modern Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in his time at the then Department of External Affairs.
Tange joined the public service during World War II, having previously worked for the Bank of New South Wales 1931–42. He was a member of the small Australian contingent at the Breton Woods Conference in 1944. Having rapidly risen from research assistant to departmental secretary in the Department of External Affairs (forerunner to the modern Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) from 1954 to 1965, he then took up the position of High Commissioner to India from 1965 to 1969.
In 1970 he returned to Australia to become Secretary of the Department of Defence – the most senior public servant therein, and effective executive head of the civilian side of the Department of Defence, reporting to the Minister, then Malcolm Fraser. At that time the Department of Defence was of relatively little consequence in the Commonwealth government; each service (Navy, Army and Air Force) had its own separate department with its own minister. Further, the Ministry of Supply, responsible for military logistics, was also a separate portfolio with yet another minister. The respective services and departments were in competition, each group jealously guarding its own budget and powers against the others.
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