22 August 2001

Former Secretary to Treasury is UQ Alumnus of the Year
An economist whose name most people would like to see in abundance in their wallets is The University of Queensland's Alumnus of the Year 2001.

Look closely on bank notes issued between 1993 and earlier this year and you will see the name of Mr Edward (Ted) Evans AC, former Secretary of the Treasury.

Mr Evans graduated from The University of Queensland in 1969 with an honours Economics degree, and was awarded a University Medal.

Educated at Ipswich High School, he trained as a technician with the then Postmaster General's Department while studying part-time at The University of Queensland.

Following graduation, Mr Evans joined the Commonwealth Treasury. From 1976 to 1979 he was a member of the Australian Permanent Delegation to the OECD in Paris. In 1980, after returning to Australia, he was promoted to the Treasury's Senior Executive Service as Head of the Fiscal and Monetary Policy Branch, then in 1982, to Head of the General Financial and Economic Policy Division. From 1984 to 1989 he held the position of Deputy Secretary and was heavily involved in taxation and microeconomic reform.

Mr Evans joined the Board of the International Monetary Fund in Washington in 1989 as Executive Director representing Australia and a number of other countries, mainly in the Asia Pacific region.

In May 1993, he returned to Australia to assume the position of Secretary to the Treasury and remained there until April 2001. He was a Board member of the Commonwealth Bank from 1993 to 1995 and of the Reserve Bank from 1993 to 2001.

The title Alumnus of the Year 2001 will be conferred upon Mr Evans at UQ's Business, Economics and Law Graduation Ceremony in Mayne Hall, St Lucia on Thursday, August 23 at 8.15pm.

Alumni Association president Dr Mary Mahoney said Mr Evans was "a very distinguished graduate of The University of Queensland and a very worthy recipient of the Alumnus of the Year Award."

The Alumnus of the Year Award was inaugurated in 1992 by The Alumni Association of The University of Queensland and the first recipient was author David Malouf. Recipients have also included Nobel Laureate and immunologist Dr Peter Doherty, Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, and Australian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dr Penny Wensley.

Media: For further information, contact Jan King at UQ Communications 07 3365 1120.