University Council
Mr Lawrence Willett, AO
Chair, University Council
Chair, Executive Committee
Chair, Succession Planning Committee
Chair, Honorary Awards and Naming Committee
The Chancellor was born in Brisbane in 1938. He completed his secondary education at Brisbane State High School before entering the then Commonwealth Public Service in 1957. The Chancellor worked in various positions in Queensland, before transferring to Canberra in 1963.
The Chancellor's public service background is extensive. During the early years of his career he held a number of key positions in such areas as customs and excise, business and consumer affairs and industry and commerce, including more than three years with the Australian Embassy in Japan as Australia's senior customs representative in Asia (1971-1975), and membership of Australia's GAAT negotiating team in Geneva (1978-1979). He was Director General of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Chairman of the National Health and Medical Research Council in 1983-84, and from 1985-1990 was Commissioner of both the Health Insurance Commission and the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Superannuation Fund Investment Trust.
In the private sector, he has served on many boards, including chairmanship of Collyfarms Cotton (1987-1990) and Australian Hospital Care Ltd (1996-2001). He was Chairman of Jupiters Ltd (1992-2004), Breakwater Island Ltd (since 1994) and the Gungahlin Development Authority (since 1996). He was National President of the Building Owners and Managers Association (now the Australian Property Council) from 1989 to 1991 He has also served as a director for Sunbeam Victa and By-Vest Advisors (1987-1991), the Indigenous Land Corporation (1993-1998), the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commercial Development Corporation (1989-1996), ANZ Managed Investments Ltd and ANZ Life Insurance Ltd (1995-2002) and has served as director of ANZ Trustees Ltd since 1995. He is currently a Director of TabCorp Pty Ltd and a member of the Government Relations Board of Minter Ellison a major transnational law firm.
Despite his heavy involvement in the public and private sector arenas, the Chancellor has given of his time, serving in an honorary capacity as Mayor of Gunning Shire Council and Vice President of the Commonwealth Club since 1999 until 2008, and as Chairman of Radford College in Canberra since 1985.