Andrew Podger Explained

Andrew Podger
Office1:Secretary of the Department of the Arts and Administrative Services
Term Start1:1993
Term End1:1994
Office2:Secretary of the Department of Administrative Services
Term Start2:1994
Term End2:1994
Office3:Secretary of the Department of Housing and Regional Development
Term Start3:1994
Term End3:1996
Office4:Secretary of the Department of Health and Family Services
Term Start4:1996
Term End4:1998
Office5:Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care
Term Start5:1998
Term End5:2001
Term Start6:2002
Term End6:2004
Birth Name:Andrew Stuart Podger
Birth Date:1948 11, df=yes
Occupation:Public servant, author and academic
Nationality: Australian

Andrew Stuart Podger, (born 6 November 1948) is a retired Australian senior public servant. He is currently Professor of Public Policy at the Australian National University.

Early life

Podger was born 6 November 1948.

Public service career

Podger began his Commonwealth Public Service career in 1968 as a Cadet at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. After his time as a statistician he moved to the Social Welfare Commission in 1974 and then to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in 1975. He was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in the Department of Social Security in 1978, where he stayed until 1982.

In 1982 he joined the Department of Finance. In 1990 Podger went on to hold the position of Deputy Secretary in charge of Acquisition and Logistics in the Department of Defence, where he stayed until 1993.[1]

He was appointed Secretary of the Department of the Arts and Administrative Services in 1993,[1] shortly thereafter renamed the Department of Administrative Services[2] He was appointed Secretary of the Department of Housing and Regional Development in April 1994.[2] He then became Secretary of the Department of Health and Family Services in 1996 (later Health and Aged Care).

He then was appointed the Public Service Commissioner in 2002,[3] a role he continued until 2004 when he agreed to head a Task Force in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to examine how to improve the delivery of health services.[4]

Awards

Podger was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2004.

Notes and References

  1. Paul. Keating. Paul Keating. 13 December 1993. STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON PJ KEATING MP PUBLIC SERVICE APPOINTMENTS. 11 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140111042245/http://pmtranscripts.dpmc.gov.au/browse.php?did=9078. dead. 11 January 2014. dmy-all.
  2. Paul. Keating. Paul Keating. 20 April 1994. STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING, MP APPOINTMENT OF DEPARTMENTAL SECRETARIES. https://web.archive.org/web/20140111043056/http://pmtranscripts.dpmc.gov.au/browse.php?did=9198. 11 January 2014.
  3. John. Howard. John Howard. 18 January 2002. SENIOR APPOINTMENTS – DEPARTMENTAL SECRETARIES. https://web.archive.org/web/20131110115014/http://pmtranscripts.dpmc.gov.au/browse.php?did=12178. 10 November 2013.
  4. John. Howard. Appointments of Secretaries. John Howard. 22 October 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20131119012959/http://pmtranscripts.dpmc.gov.au/browse.php?did=21537. 19 November 2013.