Department secretary
Occupation | |
---|---|
Names | Secretary |
Occupation type | Chief executive officer |
In Australia, a departmental secretary is the most senior public servant of an Australian Government or state government department. They are typically responsible for the day-to-day actions of a department.
Role
This section needs additional citations for verification. (September 2020) |
A departmental secretary is in theory,
The secretary is also known as the chief executive of the department; the position is equivalent to the permanent secretary of a government department in the United Kingdom and is similar to the director general in some non-Commonwealth countries, or the chief executive officer (CEO) in a private company.
In the Australian government, secretaries are the responsible officers for departments. They are answerable to the Australian Parliament for ensuring that the department performs all the functions assigned to it and spends money appropriately, as granted by the Parliament. Secretaries are frequently called for questioning by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, the House of Representatives committees and the Senate committees.
Appointment and termination
The Public Service Act 1999 requires the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to provide a report to the prime minister of the day about the suitability of potential candidates as departmental secretary. The report is prepared in conjunction with the public service commissioner. Appointments and terminations as departmental secretary are made by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister under Sections 58 and 59 respectively of the Act.[3][4]
Since removal of
The most senior Commonwealth public servant is the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, currently Glyn Davis.[13]
Current Australian Government secretaries
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There are currently 16 secretaries within the Australian Government.[14]
Department | Title holder | Effective date | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Australian Government department
| |||
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | Adam Fennessy PSM | 18 September 2023 | [15] |
Attorney-General's | Katherine Jones PSM | 16 August 2021 | [16] |
Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | David Fredericks PSM | 1 July 2022 | [17] |
Defence | Greg Moriarty | 4 September 2017 | [18] |
Education | Tony Cook PSM | 4 April 2023 | [19] |
Employment and Workplace Relations | Natalie James | 11 July 2022 | [17] |
Finance | Jenny Wilkinson PSM | 9 August 2022 | [17][20] |
Foreign Affairs and Trade |
AO PSM |
1 July 2022 | [17][21] |
Health and Aged Care | Blair Comley PSM | 17 July 2023 | [22] |
Home Affairs | Stephanie Foster PSM | 28 November 2023 | [23] |
Industry, Science and Resources | Meghan Quinn PSM | 22 August 2022 | [24] |
Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts | Jim Betts | 11 July 2022 | [17] |
Prime Minister and Cabinet | AC |
6 June 2022 | [25] |
Social Services | AO CSC |
22 July 2021 | [26] |
Treasury |
Steven Kennedy PSM | 2 September 2019 | [27] |
Veterans' Affairs | Alison Frame | 23 January 2023 | [28] |
See also
References
- ^ corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "Patrick Weller "The Australian Public Service: Still Anonymous, Neutral and a Career Service?*"". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the originalon 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ Public Service Act, 1999 (Cth) s 58
- ^ Public Service Act, 1999 (Cth) s 59
- ^ Podger, Andrew (20 September 2013). "Abbott and the public service: where now on department heads?". The Conversation. The Conversation Media Group. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the originalon 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ Waterford, Jack (September 1999). "Defence losing its moorings" (PDF). Eureka Street. 9 (7): 7. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- PM (ABC Radio). Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ABC TV. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- AM (ABC Radio). Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- PM (ABC Radio). Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- PM (ABC Radio). Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ "Our Secretary". www.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "Secretary appointments to departments of state". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Appointment of new Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry". Prime Minister of Australia. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Secretary". Attorney-General's Department. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Announcement Of New Department Secretaries". Prime Minister of Australia. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Secretary of the Department of Defence". Defence Australia. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Appointment of new Secretary of the Department of Education". Prime Minister of Australia. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "The Secretary". Department of Finance. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Biography of Secretary, Jan Adams AO PSM". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Appointment of new Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care". Prime Minister of Australia. 13 June 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Appointment of new Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs". Prime Minister of Australia. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Announcement of new Secretary of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources". Prime Minister of Australia. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Our Secretary". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Secretary". Department of Social Services. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Our Executive". The Treasury. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "The Secretary". Department of Veterans' Affairs. Retrieved 4 December 2023.