8-616: The ' Bland Report' officially titled Report of the Board of Enquiry into the Victorian Land Transport System - Victoria 1971-72 , was a report prepared by Sir Henry Bland (1909-1997) for the Victorian Government in 1972. The Bland Report recommended major changes to Victorian Railway operations including closure of many of the less profitable branch lines, opening railways to competition from road transport operators, on
16-618: A market basis, introduction of contract road buses, rationalisation of freight operations and creation of regional freight centres. A substantial reduction in the number of railway employees resulted from these changes. In both its scope and consequences, the Bland Report was similar to the Beeching Review in Britain. A major outcome of the report was the Railways (Amendment) Act 1972 which passed
24-676: A solicitor of the NSW Supreme Court in 1935. In 1940 and 1941, he was official secretary to the NSW Agent-General in London, and acted as Agent-General himself for some months. On return to Australia he advised the NSW and Commonwealth governments on civil defence. Bland commenced his Australian Public Service career in 1942, as Principal Adviser to the Director-General of Manpower. In 1946 he
32-482: The department, Bland initiated a broad and intense program of administrative reform, including a "rolling" five year defence program that intended to make allowances for Australian defence needs over a five-year period, expecting to shorten the waiting time for hardware by having service departments make submissions for their needs earlier than in the past. In 1971-2, he undertook a review of land transport in Victoria for
40-532: The management and operation of the railways from the Victorian Railways Commissioners to a Victorian Railways Board made up of up to seven members, with six initially appointed with A.G. Gibbs as the first chairman. The Board was in turn replaced in 1983 when the Transport Act 1983 was passed. Henry Bland (public servant) Sir Henry Armand Bland (28 December 1909 – 8 November 1997)
48-626: The state government, which resulted in the Bland Report recommending closure of many Victorian Railways branch lines and passenger services. In July 1976 Bland was appointed Chairman of the ABC , a position in which Dr. Earle Hackett had been acting since the death of Prof Richard Downing in November 1975. He resigned after only five months, following clashes with both staff (who resented his appointment as what they called " Malcolm Fraser 's hatchet man") and
56-566: Was a senior Australian public servant. He was Secretary of the Department of Defence from 1968 to 1970. Bland was born in Randwick, Sydney on 28 December 1909, the son of Francis Bland . Bland's mother died from septicaemia soon after he was born. In 1925 and 1926, Bland attended Sydney Boys High School . He studied law at the University of Sydney , graduating with honours, and was admitted as
64-569: Was appointed Assistant Director of Employment in the Department of Labour and National Service . Between 1952 and 1967, Bland was Secretary of the Department of Labour and National Service. In the role, he was the main architect of the Commonwealth Employment Service. Bland was appointed Secretary of the Department of Defence in 1968, but he stayed in the role just two-years, retiring in 1970. During his short time as head of
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