Harry Evans (Australian Senate clerk)
| Harry Evans | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 12th Clerk of the Australian Senate | |
|
In office 18 February 1988 – 4 December 2009 |
|
| President | |
| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Alan Cumming Thom |
| Succeeded by | Rosemary Laing |
| Deputy Clerk of the Australian Senate | |
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In office 20 February 19871 – 17 February 1988 |
|
| President | Kerry Sibraa |
| Clerk | Alan Cumming Thom |
| Preceded by | Herbert Charles Nicholls |
| Succeeded by | Geraldine Anne Lynch |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
7 February 1946 Lithgow, New South Wales |
| Died |
7 September 2014 (aged 68) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney |
| Occupation | Parliamentary official |
| 1 Acting from 29 January 1987. | |
Harry Evans (7 February 1946 – 7 September 2014) was the longest-serving Clerk of the Australian Senate, serving from 17 February 1988 to 4 December 2009. He was considered an "ardent and outspoken defender" of the independence and constitutional authority of the Senate.
Harry Evans was born on 7 February 1946 in Lithgow, New South Wales. He studied at the University of Sydney, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours. He was a resident of Canberra, and had three children with his wife, Rhonda.
In 1967, Harry commenced as a librarian-in-training with the Parliamentary Library. By 1969, he had come to the attention of Jim Odgers, Clerk of the Senate, who wanted to bring out a new edition of his Australian Senate Practice. Odgers was looking for a good researcher to work with him on the project. Harry, with his strong interest in history, applied for and got the job.
He was first employed as Deputy Usher of the Black Rod, then became The Usher of the Black Rod, later moving on to become Assistant Clerk in 1983. In 1987 he became Deputy Clerk and, in 1988, achieved the position of Clerk of the Senate.
He became highly regarded as secretary to the Regulations and Ordinances Committee for many years and cut his teeth on executive accountability to the parliament. Upon his leaving in 1981, the committee chair, Victorian Liberal Senator Austin Lewis, said of him: ‘… on behalf of the committee, I wish to pay a special tribute to our former secretary, Mr Harry Evans, who has taken up other duties within the Senate. His vast knowledge, dedication and efficiency have been of inestimable value to the committee. Members of the committee congratulate Mr Evans on his advancement, and look forward to his further progress as an officer of the Senate.’
In the early 1980s, Harry set up what is now the Procedure Office, in response to the emergence of minor parties in the Senate and their needs for procedural advice and legislative drafting support in addition to the requirements of the opposition and the government.
In 1983, the Appropriations and Staffing Committee approved a new departmental structure as a result of the growth of Senate committee work and the emergence of new functions such as procedural support for minor parties. Several positions of Clerk Assistant were created. Harry was one of the first of these new Clerk Assistants, and was responsible for the Committee Office until he returned to the Procedure Office in 1985, before being promoted to Deputy Clerk in 1987 and Clerk of the Senate the following year.
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