Ian Castles
Encyclopedia
Ian Castles, AO OBE (20 February 19352 August 2010) was Secretary of the Australian Government
Department of Finance
(1979–86), the Australian Statistician
(1986–94), and a Visiting Fellow
at the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University
, Canberra
.
Castles was born in Kyneton, Victoria
and educated at state schools in Sale
, Wesley College, Melbourne
and Melbourne University. in 1954, he joined the Australian Public Service in the archives division of the National Library of Australia
, then located in Melbourne, and moved to Canberra in 1957. He joined the Treasury
in 1958.
He was also Executive Director and Vice President of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
(1995–2000) and President of the International Association of Official Statistics.
He was a contributor to Online Opinion, appeared at events hosted by the Institute of Public Affairs
and Centre for Independent Studies
, and published papers with The Lavoisier Group, a global warming skeptic organisation. Ian Castles was known for his criticism of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
, particularly its Special Report on Emissions Scenarios
.
His interests included research into the information requirements for public policy (especially at the international level) and the history of economic thought.
Ian Castles died on 2 August 2010, aged 75.
in June 1978, and an Officer of the Order of Australia
in June 1987.
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
Department of Finance
Department of Finance and Administration (Australia)
The Department of Finance and Deregulation is an Australian Government department. Its role is to help the Australian Government achieve its policy objectives by contributing to four key outcomes:* sustainable Government finances....
(1979–86), the Australian Statistician
Australian Statistician
The Australian Statistician is the head of the Australian Bureau of Statistics.On 18 June 1906, the first Statistician of the Commonwealth of Australia was appointed to carry out the provisions of the Census and Statistics Act 1905...
(1986–94), and a Visiting Fellow
Visiting fellow
A visiting fellow is an academic, often a senior academic, who is undertaking research at a different institution than his or her main institution for a limited period of time, often but not necessarily at a foreign institution. A visiting fellow can be paid or unpaid; sometimes the salary is paid...
at the Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University
Australian National University
The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
Castles was born in Kyneton, Victoria
Kyneton, Victoria
Kyneton is a town on the Calder Highway in the Macedon Ranges of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. The town was named after the English village of Kineton, Warwickshire. The town has three main streets: Mollison Street, Piper Street and High Street...
and educated at state schools in Sale
Sale, Victoria
Sale is a city in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. It is the seat of the Shire of Wellington as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale and the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. It has a population of around 13,336, and is expected to reach a population of 14,000 soon...
, Wesley College, Melbourne
Wesley College, Melbourne
Wesley College, Melbourne is an independent, co-educational, Christian day school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1866, the college is a school of the Uniting Church in Australia. Wesley is the largest school in Australia by enrolment, with 3,511 students and 564 full-time staff...
and Melbourne University. in 1954, he joined the Australian Public Service in the archives division of the National Library of Australia
National Library of Australia
The National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
, then located in Melbourne, and moved to Canberra in 1957. He joined the Treasury
Department of the Treasury (Australia)
The Department of the Treasury is an Australian Government department. Its role is to focus and develop economic policy.-History:The Commonwealth Treasury was established in Melbourne in January 1901....
in 1958.
He was also Executive Director and Vice President of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia is an autonomous, non-governmental organisation, devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the social sciences. It was established in 1971...
(1995–2000) and President of the International Association of Official Statistics.
He was a contributor to Online Opinion, appeared at events hosted by the Institute of Public Affairs
Institute of Public Affairs
The Institute of Public Affairs is a public policy think tank based in Melbourne, Australia. It advocates free market economic policies such as privatisation and deregulation of state-owned enterprises, trade liberalisation and deregulated workplaces, climate change skepticism , and the...
and Centre for Independent Studies
Centre for Independent Studies
The Centre for Independent Studies is a libertarian think tank founded in April 1976 by Executive Director Greg Lindsay. The CIS is one of six think tanks recognised by the National Institute for Research Advancement in Tokyo, Japan...
, and published papers with The Lavoisier Group, a global warming skeptic organisation. Ian Castles was known for his criticism of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is a scientific intergovernmental body which provides comprehensive assessments of current scientific, technical and socio-economic information worldwide about the risk of climate change caused by human activity, its potential environmental and...
, particularly its Special Report on Emissions Scenarios
Special Report on Emissions Scenarios
The Special Report on Emissions Scenarios was prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2000, based on data developed at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. The emissions scenarios described in the Report have been used to make projections of possible future climate...
.
His interests included research into the information requirements for public policy (especially at the international level) and the history of economic thought.
Ian Castles died on 2 August 2010, aged 75.
Honours
Ian Castles was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in June 1978, and an Officer of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in June 1987.
Publications
His publications include:- Ian Castles and David Henderson (2003) The IPCC emission scenarios: An economic-statistical critique, Energy & Environment, vol. 14: nos.2-3.
- Ian Castles and David Henderson (2003) Economics, emissions scenarios and the work of the IPCC, Energy & Environment, vol. 14, no. 4.
- Castles, Ian (2000) 'Reporting on Human Development: Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics', In Facts and Fancies of Human Development. Castles, Ian (eds.). Canberra: Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
External links
- Ian Castles at Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
- Ian Castles at Online Opinion
- Sourcewatch : Ian Castles