Keith Hancock

A graduate of the University of Melbourne, Keith Hancock took his doctorate at the London School of Economics in 1959. He was a Lecturer in Economics at the University of Adelaide before becoming the foundation Professor of Economics in the University of Adelaide at Bedford Park in 1964. Bedford Park staff were transferred to equivalent positions at Flinders University in 1966. In 1980, Hancock became Vice-Chancellor of Flinders University.

He left the University in 1987 to become a Presidential Member of the Australian Conciliation and Arbitration Commission (later the Australian Industrial Relations Commission). Since his retirement in 1997, he has held honorary appointments at Adelaide and Flinders Universities.

Hancock was one of the founders of the Industrial Relations Society of South Australia. He also founded the Flinders University (later the National) Institute of labour Studies.

He is a life member and former President of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. He has served as president of the Industrial Relations Society of Australia and the Economic Society of Australia (South Australian Branch).
For the Commonwealth government, he chaired committees of inquiry into national superannuation and industrial relations law and systems and was a member of inquiries into employment statistics and the financial system. For the South Australian government, he chaired an inquiry into the racing industry.

He was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in 1987 for services to education.