Paul Grimes has hung up his hat at the Victorian Public Sector Commission.
The commissioner finished up in his role last week in order to be closer to his family in Canberra, according to the Victorian Public Sector Commission.
The VPSC has bid farewell to Grimes after “two very productive years in Victoria”.
Deputy commissioner Julia Griffith stepped in as acting commissioner this week. She has more than 30 years experience in the state public service, and has held deputy secretary and executive director roles in a range of justice portfolios including Youth Justice, Police, Corrections, Crime Prevention, Victims Services and the Infringements System.
Before being appointed commissioner at the end of 2017, Grimes worked as the secretary of the federal Department of Agriculture and the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population, and Communities. He has also served as an associate secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and deputy secretary in the Department of Finance.
Despite the bipartisan respect he had earned serving as one of the APS’s most senior leaders, Grimes was pushed out of his role at Agriculture in 2015 after questioning the integrity of his minister at the time, Barnaby Joyce.
Grimes and human rights commissioner Kristen Hilton recently shared five ways public sector leaders can tackle sexual harassment in their organisations with Mandarin Premium.
Read more: Loving your job the ‘secret to a happy life’, says Paul Grimes
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