Department secretary explained

Departmental secretary
Official Names:Secretary
Type:Public servant
Activity Sector:Australian Government and state and territory governments

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

A departmental secretary is in theory,[1] a non-political, non-elected public servant head (and "responsible officer") of government departments, who generally holds their position for a number of years.[2] A departmental secretary works closely with the elected government minister that oversees the Commonwealth department or state government department in order to bring about policy and program initiatives that the government of day was elected to achieve. A departmental secretary works with other departments and agencies to ensure the delivery of services and programs within the nominated area of responsibility.

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.

Since removal of tenure under Prime Minister Paul Keating, departmental secretaries are generally aware that while dismissals are not common, following a change of government, failure to re-appoint a secretary is certainly a frequent occurrence.[3] In the first Rudd government, secretaries were appointed for a five-year term; prior to this a term of three years was common.[4] In 1999, the Howard government sought to remove Paul Barratt as the secretary of the Department of Defence after Barratt fell out of favour with his minister.[5] Despite being offered a diplomatic post, Barratt refused to vacate the role and commenced legal action,[6] claiming unfair dismissal and that the government had failed to follow due process.[7] Barratt had a temporary stay,[8] but was dismissed within 14 days,[9] and subsequently lost, on appeal in the Federal Court.[10]

The most senior Commonwealth public servant is the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, currently Glyn Davis.[11]

Current Australian Government secretaries

There are currently 16 secretaries within the Australian Government.[12]

Department Title holderEffective dateRef(s)
Australian Government department
Adam Fennessy 18 September 2023 [13]
Attorney-General'sKatherine Jones 16 August 2021 [14]
Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and WaterDavid Fredericks 1 July 2022 [15]
Defence4 September 2017 [16]
EducationTony Cook 4 April 2023 [17]
Employment and Workplace RelationsNatalie James 11 July 2022
FinanceJenny Wilkinson 9 August 2022 [18]
Foreign Affairs and Trade1 July 2022 [19]
Health and Aged Care17 July 2023[20]
28 November 2023 [21]
Industry, Science and ResourcesMeghan Quinn 22 August 2022 [22]
Jim Betts 11 July 2022
Prime Minister and Cabinet6 June 2022 [23]
Social Services22 July 2021 [24]
Treasury2 September 2019[25]
Veterans' AffairsAlison Frame 23 January 2023 [26]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House . Canberra . Patrick Weller "The Australian Public Service: Still Anonymous, Neutral and a Career Service?*" . 2023-03-09 . aph.gov.au.
  2. Rudd, Kevin. Kevin Rudd. Departmental secretaries and statutory office-holders, Canberra. 13 August 2009. 10 November 2013. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Commonwealth of Australia. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131110095906/http://pmtranscripts.dpmc.gov.au/browse.php?did=16752. 10 November 2013.
  3. News: Abbott and the public service: where now on department heads? . Podger, Andrew . The Conversation . 20 September 2013 . 10 November 2013 . The Conversation Media Group .
  4. Howard, John . John Howard . Senior appointments: Departmental secretaries . 18 January 2002 . 10 November 2013 . . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131110115014/http://pmtranscripts.dpmc.gov.au/browse.php?did=12178 . 10 November 2013 .
  5. Waterford, Jack. Jack Waterford. Defence losing its moorings. 9. 7. 7. Eureka Street. September 1999. 10 November 2013.
  6. News: Defence dismissal goes to court. transcript. PM (ABC Radio). Australia. Colvin, Mark. Mark Colvin. Epstein, Rafael. 6 August 1999. 10 November 2013.
  7. Barratt . Paul . . Paul Barratt returns to work . . 19 August 1999 . 730 . 10 November 2013. Interview: transcript.
  8. News: Defence head gains injunction. transcript. AM (ABC Radio). Australia. Reynolds, Fiona. 28 July 1999. 10 November 2013.
  9. News: Barratt sacked. transcript. PM (ABC Radio). Australia. Colvin, Mark. Mark Colvin. Reynolds, Fiona. 31 August 1999. 10 November 2013.
  10. News: Barrett loses appeal against dismissal. transcript. PM (ABC Radio). Australia. Colvin, Mark. Mark Colvin. Reynolds, Fiona. 10 March 2000. 10 November 2013.
  11. Web site: Our Secretary. 2022-10-09 . pmc.gov.au.
  12. Web site: Secretary appointments to departments of state . 4 December 2023. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
  13. Web site: Appointment of new Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry . 31 August 2023 . 4 December 2023 . Prime Minister of Australia.
  14. Web site: Secretary. 21 March 2022. Attorney-General's Department.
  15. Web site: Announcement of New Department Secretaries. 22 June 2022 . 4 December 2023 . Prime Minister of Australia.
  16. Web site: Secretary of the Department of Defence . 4 December 2023. Defence Australia.
  17. Web site: Appointment of new Secretary of the Department of Education . 3 February 2023 . 4 December 2023 . Prime Minister of Australia.
  18. Web site: The Secretary . 4 December 2023. Department of Finance.
  19. Web site: Biography of Secretary, Jan Adams AO PSM . 4 December 2023. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
  20. Web site: Appointment of new Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care . 13 June 2023 . 4 December 2023 . Prime Minister of Australia.
  21. Web site: Appointment of new Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs . 28 November 2023 . 4 December 2023 . Prime Minister of Australia.
  22. Web site: Announcement of new Secretary of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources . 5 August 2022 . 4 December 2023 . Prime Minister of Australia.
  23. Web site: Our Secretary . 4 December 2023. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
  24. Web site: Secretary . 4 December 2023. Department of Social Services.
  25. Web site: Our Executive . 4 December 2023. The Treasury.
  26. Web site: The Secretary . 4 December 2023. Department of Veterans' Affairs.