Kenneth Norman Jones

Kenneth Norman Jones AO CBE (17 April 1924 – 19 January 2022) was an Australian senior public servant.

Kenneth Norman Jones AO CBE
Secretary of the Department of Local Government and Administrative Services
In office 13 December 1984 – 24 July 1987
Secretary of the Department of Administrative Services
In office 25 March 1983 – 12 December 1984
Secretary of the Department of Education and Youth Affairs
In office 11 March 1983 – 25 March 1983
Secretary of the Department of Education
In office 16 January 1973 – 11 March 1983
Personal details
Born	(1924-04-17)17 April 1924 Bundaberg, Queensland
Died	19 January 2022(2022-01-19) (aged 97) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of Queensland
Occupation	Public servant

Early life

Kenneth Jones was born in Bundaberg, Queensland, on 17 April 1924.^[1] He attended the University of Queensland, graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce.^[1]

Career

Jones began his Commonwealth Public Service career in 1941 when he joined the Official Receiver's Office in Queensland.^[1]

He was appointed to his first Secretary role in January 1973, at the Department of Education. He stayed head of that department for over ten years, and subsequently served as head of Department of Education and Youth Affairs (March 1983), Department of Administrative Services (March 1983 to December 1984) and the Department of Local Government and Administrative Services (December 1984 to July 1987).^[2][3][4][5] In total, he was a secretary in the Australian Government for over 13 years, retiring in 1986.^[1]

Personal life and death

Jones died in Canberra on 19 January 2022, at the age of 97.^[6]

Awards

In the New Year's Honours List for 1969 Jones was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.^[1] In June 1986 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia, for public service, particularly in the fields of education and departmental administration.^[7]