Don McMichael
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Don McMichael CBE |
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|---|---|
| Secretary of the Department of Environment and Conservation | |
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In office 1 Jan 1973 – 21 April 1975 |
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| Secretary of the Department of the Environment | |
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In office 21 April 1975 – 22 December 1975 |
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| Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs | |
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In office 27 February 1978 – 3 November 1980 |
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| Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs and Environment | |
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In office 3 November 1980 – 1 February 1984 |
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| Director of the National Museum of Australia | |
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In office 1 February 1984 – 31 May 1989 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Donald Fred McMichael 28 January 1932 Rockhampton, Queensland |
| Nationality |
 Australian |
| Alma mater |
University of Sydney Harvard University |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Dr Donald Fred "Don" McMichael CBE (born 28 January 1932) is a retired marine biologist and senior Australian public servant.
McMichael was born in Rockhampton, Queensland on 28 January 1932. He was schooled at North Sydney Technical High School and Newcastle Technical High School, before graduating from University of Sydney in 1952 with first class honours in zoology.
His PhD thesis at Harvard University, which he began in 1953, was on Australian freshwater mussels.
In December 1975, he was appointed Director of Environment within the new Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development.
In February 1978, McMichael was appointed Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs. When that Department was reconstituted as the Department of Home Affairs and Environment, he continued as Secretary. Issues of central importance during his time in the Department included the Tasmanian Dam case and the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, and the need for a greening Australia program.
McMichael was appointed the first Director of the National Museum of Australia in February 1984, for a seven-year term. At the time, the Museum was expected to open in 1990. In May 1989, McMichael announced his retirement from the role and from the Australian Public Service, describing the last three years at the museum as "quite frustrating and negative" due to the Australian Government's lack of commitment to the museum.
In June 1981, McMichael was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for public service. He was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001 for service as the first Director of the Australian Conservation Foundation.
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Wikipedia