Phillip Bennett

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General Sir Phillip Bennett AC KBE DSO

23rd Governor of Tasmania
In office 19 October 1987 – 2 October 1995
Monarch	Queen Elizabeth II
Preceded by	Sir James Plimsoll
Succeeded by	Sir Guy Green
Personal details
Born	(1928-12-27) 27 December 1928 East Fremantle, Western Australia
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Soldier
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1946–1987
Rank	General
Commands	Chief of the Defence Force Chief of General Staff 1st Division 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
Battles/wars	Korean War Malayan Emergency Vietnam War
Awards	Companion of the Order of Australia Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Knight of the Order of St John Mentioned in Despatches Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)

General Sir Phillip Harvey Bennett AC KBE DSO (born 27 December 1928) is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army who served as Chief of the Australian Defence Force from 1984 to 1987, and later as Governor of Tasmania from 1987 to 1995.

Early life

Bennett was born in Perth, Western Australia and educated at Perth Modern School and the Royal Military College, Duntroon, from which he graduated as a lieutenant on 14 December 1948. With 13 other new officers, he was posted in March 1949 to 67 Infantry Battalion, The Australian Regiment, then in the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, Japan.

Military career

Bennett served in Japan until September 1950 and then embarked with the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment for Korea where he served for a year during which he was wounded in action on 14 October 1950, remaining on duty, and Mentioned in Despatches in 1951. He served again for 12 months in Korea from 1 September 1952 as Senior, then Chief Instructor with the 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade Jnr NCO School while posted as Tactics Instructor at the School of Infantry in Seymour, Victoria.

On return to Australia in 1953 he became Adjt 1 PIR in PNG. In 1954 he was Adjt with 16 Inf Bn (CMF) and in 1956 Staff Capt A in HQ W Comd Then in 1957–58 he served in the United Kingdom with the Royal Marine Commandos and saw duty in Malta, and operational service in Cyprus. He then served as OC 2 Cdo Coy from July 1958 to June 1961,^[1]^[2] and after attending the Australian Staff College, became the Senior, then Chief Instructor at OCS Portsea from 1962 to 1965. He was then posted until 10 July 1967 to Army HQ which had moved to Canberra in the early 1960s from Melbourne.

He then commanded the 1st Battalion and for service in Vietnam in 1968–69 and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.^[3] On return from UK Joint service training in 1971 he became Colonel Coordination in the office of Chief of the General Staff and in April 1974 was promoted to Brigadier, Chief of Staff at HQ Field Force Command in Sydney until December 1975.

He attended senior officer training at the Australian Staff College first long course in 1960–61, Joint Services Staff College in UK as a student then exchange instructor 1969–71, and then the Royal College of Defence Studies in UK in 1976.

He commanded the 1st Division 1977–79, became Assistant Chief of Defence Staff 1979–82, Chief of the General Staff 1982–84 and (the first) Chief of the Australian Defence Force in 1984 (the position having been changed from Chief of the Defence Staff). He retired from the Army in April 1987.^[4]

Governor of Tasmania

During his period as Governor, he was called on to be the adjudicator of a sensitive constitutional problem following the inconclusive Tasmanian state election in 1989. This led to the fall of the Liberal Government of Premier Robin Gray and its replacement with an Australian Labor Party Government led by Michael Field, reliant on the support of five Green Members of Parliament in what was known as the Labor-Green Accord. Bennett's handling of this situation was regarded by constitutional experts as assured and impeccable.^{[citation needed]}

Sir Phillip on several occasions also became Administrator of the Commonwealth during overseas visits by the then Governor-General, Bill Hayden.

Retirement

After retiring from the governorship, Sir Phillip has also served as inaugural Chairman of the Australian War Memorial Foundation. He has been the Patron of the 2 Commando Association (now the Australian Commando Association Victoria)^[5] since 1985, Patron of The St John Ambulance in the ACT since 1996 and a past President of the Order of Australia Association (elected National President of the Order of Australian Association in March 1997). Bennett is also the inaugural National Patron of the Royal Australian Regiment Association.

Awards and honours

Parachutist Badge

He was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1969 for service as Commanding Officer of 1 Battalion Royal Australian Regiment in Vietnam. Bennett was made an Officer in the Military Division of the Order of Australia in 1981,^[6] a Knight Commander in the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire in 1982^[7] and promoted to Companion of the Order of Australia in 1985.^[8]

He was award a Mentioned in Despatches for; 'During the period, 9 November 1950 to June 1951, this officer performed the duty of mortar platoon commander through that period. His support of battalion attacks was of the highest order etc.'

In 1983 he was made a Commander of the Legion of Merit and in 1985 the Republic of Korea Order of National Security Medal. He was made an Honorary LLD (NSW) in Oct 1995 for his contribution to military education and the Australian Defence Force Academy. He was made a Knight of St John in 1988^[9] and awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by the University of Tasmania in 1992. He was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001.

	Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)	(1985)
	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	(1981)
	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE)	(1982)
	Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)	(1969)
	Knight of the Most Venerable Order of Saint John (KStJ)	(1988)
	Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975
	Korea Medal with Bronze Oakleaf for Mentioned in Dispatches
	United Nations Korea Medal
	General Service Medal (With Malaya clasp)
	Vietnam Medal
	Australian Service Medal 1945-1975
	Centenary Medal	(2001)
	Defence Force Service Medal (with Federation Star) (5 clasps)	(40–44 years service)
	National Medal with first clasp	(1977)
	Australian Defence Medal
	Vietnam Campaign Medal (Republic of Vietnam)
	Commander of the US Legion of Merit (United States of America)	(1983)
	Order of National Security Merit (Tong-il Medal) (South Korea)	(1985)
	Pingat Jasa Malaysia (Malaysia)
	Korean War Service Medal (South Korea)	(Not Worn)

References

↑ ADF Routine Orders Part 2 (166 - 209/6). 19 June 196161. Check date values in: |date= (help)
↑ Higgins, Barry (1995). Strike Swiftly 40 years of 2 Commando Company 1955 to 1995. Melbourne: 2 Cdo Assoc Victoria. p. 82–84. ISBN 0 646 22208 2.
↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 44818, page 3365, 28 March 1969.
↑ Chief of the Defence Force - Previous Chiefs
↑ Higgins, Barry. "ACA Victoria".
↑ It's an Honour - Officer of the Order of Australia
↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 49213, page 44, 30 December 1982
↑ It's an Honour - Companion of the Order of Australia
↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 51204, page 687, 21 January 1988

External links

Military offices
Preceded by New creation Replaced position of Chief of Defence Force Staff	Chief of the Defence Force 1984 – 1987	Succeeded by General Peter Gration
Preceded by Air Chief Marshal Sir Neville McNamara	Chief of the Defence Force Staff April – October 1984	Succeeded by None Position replaced by Chief of the Defence Force
Preceded by Lieutenant General Sir Donald Dunstan	Chief of General Staff 1982 – 1984	Succeeded by Lieutenant General Peter Gration
Government offices
Preceded by Sir James Plimsoll	Governor of Tasmania 1987 – 1995	Succeeded by Sir Guy Green

v t e Chiefs of the Australian Army

General Officers Commanding	Edward Hutton Harry Finn

Chiefs of the General Staff	William Bridges John Hoad Francis Wilson Joseph Gordon James Legge Godfrey Irving Hubert Foster James Legge Brudenell White Harry Chauvel Walter Coxon Julius Bruche John Lavarack Ernest Squires John Northcott Brudenell White Vernon Sturdee John Northcott Vernon Sturdee Sydney Rowell Henry Wells Ragnar Garrett Reg Pollard John Wilton Thomas Daly Mervyn Brogan Francis Hassett Arthur MacDonald Donald Dunstan Phillip Bennett Peter Gration Lawrence O'Donnell John Coates John Grey John Sanderson

Chiefs of Army	John Sanderson Frank Hickling Peter Cosgrove Peter Leahy Ken Gillespie David Morrison

v t e Chiefs of the Defence Force

Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee	Sir Henry Wells Sir Roy Dowling Sir Frederick Scherger Sir John Wilton Sir Victor Smith Francis Hassett

Chief of Defence Force Staff	Sir Francis Hassett Sir Arthur MacDonald Sir Anthony Synnot Sir Neville McNamara Sir Phillip Bennett

Chief of the Defence Force	Sir Phillip Bennett Peter Gration Alan Beaumont John Baker Chris Barrie Peter Cosgrove Angus Houston David Hurley

v t e Governors of Tasmania

	Before Federation	Young Browne Du Cane Weld Strahan Hamilton Viscount Gormanston

	After Federation	Havelock Lord Strickland Barron Ellison-Macartney Newdegate O'Grady Allardyce Clark Binney Cross Lord Rowallan Gairdner Bastyan Burbury Plimsoll Bennett Green Butler Cox Underwood

Authority control	VIAF: 171663644

Persondata
Name	Bennett, Phillip
Alternative names	Bennett, General Sir Phillip
Short description	Senior Australian Army officer and Governor of Tasmania
Date of birth	27 December 1928
Place of birth	East Fremantle, Western Australia
Date of death
Place of death

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