Anthony Stuart Cole AO (born 17 March 1947) is a retired senior Australian public servant.
[4] Shortly after in 1983 Cole was appointed principal private secretary to Treasurer Paul Keating, working in the role until October 1985.
[3][6] There was speculation at the time that Cole was removed as Treasury Secretary due to evidence he gave to a Senate inquiry into Victoria's debt blowout, the Treasurer, John Dawkins, denied the suggestion, stating that his move was just a normal part of the re-establishment of administration following an election.
[3] When he left, John Taylor, the Commonwealth Auditor-General at the time, told media "it's a tragedy that somebody of the standing and even future potential of Tony Cole should be lost to public service".
[9] In 1995, Cole was honoured as an Officer of the Order of Australia, in recognition of service to the development of public sector policy.