“Bloody well do what we tell you and you’ll be fine.”
Roland Wilson (Secretary of the Treasury) speaking to Billy Wilson (Treasurer)

Sir Roland Wilson headed up Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics (precursor to the Australian Bureau of Statistics), the Treasury and the Department of Labour and National Service, amonst others. If you are interested, you can read about his wide career (including his history as an early student of the Chicago School of Economics) in his well written obituary. While I won’t try and rewrite this, what itdoesn’t capture is my personal favourite story of Sir Wilson’s career, during his time as Commonwealth Statistician.

This story comes from Informing a Nation: the Evolution of the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which details the core prinicples at the heart of the public service, trust and service to the community. The quote below goes into detail, however the short version is that when faced with having to relinguish confidential information on individuals, violating the privacy of the Bureau and the public, Roland Wilson chose to torch the records and defy parliament than violate the trust of the public.

That I think is the level of bravery and commitment that should stand at the heart of all public servants. Its just a shame that they don’t sell those little silicon wrist bands branded WWRWD, that remind us all to ask “What Would Roland Wilson Do”?

Throughout the history of the Bureau, its statisticians have preserved the confidentiality of the information provided by individuals and businesses. Today, the Census and Statistics Act protects the confidentiality of data reported to the Bureau. However its statisticians through the decades have always ensured that the data reported to them by individual respondents remained confidential.

For example, Sir Roland Wilson (Commonwealth Statistician 1936–1940 and 1946–1948) once told the story of how legislation for a Census of Wealth was hastily drawn up in the early days of World War II. The legislation was badly drafted and mentioned that the Commissioner of Taxation could have access to the data – without making it clear that he could only access the collated information.

Subsequently, during a tax evasion case, the Commissioner of Taxation formed the view that he could win the case by accessing the defendant’s individual Census of Wealth data.

‘[He] … came storming into my office one day and demanded this bloke’s wealth card and I said he couldn’t have it. “Why?” “Because they are confidential and if it was used in a court case it could wreck our reputation”.

The Commissioner of Taxation, not content with this reply, took the matter to Cabinet and convinced it to approve his access to the individual’s data. Then he went back to Wilson to collect the information.

‘Oh, he was on the seventh heaven of delight and he came storming along with his two Deputies, waved the Cabinet decision at me and said, “You’ve got to hand those cards over to me”. “I’m sorry … I can’t.” [Said Wilson] “What do you mean? I’ve got a Cabinet decision!” [The Commissioner exclaimed]. ‘[Wilson replied] “You’re about a week too late. I piled them onto two trucks last week, sent them down to Sydney and incinerated them”.

- Sir Roland Wilson, interviewed in 1984.