Top of their game: Senior public service appointments of the year

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Here’s a round-up of the most powerful mandarins to feature in this year’s Movers & Shakers list.

January

Former Origin Energy executive Dennis Barnes became CEO of Snowy Hydro Limited.

The Australian Energy Regulator appointed former Energy Security Board chief Anthea Harris to CEO.

Former ANZSOG deputy CEO Dr Subho Banerjee became deputy commissioner of the Australian Public Service Commission.

Stephanie Bull was appointed director of the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD). Bull was previously deputy director at the National Museum of Australia.

February

Liz Cosson’s departure from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) cleared the way for organisational renewal. Alison Frame, a deputy secretary of social policy at PM&C, was named in December 2022 as her replacement.

Tony Cook was appointed federal Department of Education secretary, replacing Dr Michele Bruniges.

Professor John Skerritt announced he would retire from the Therapeutic Goods Administration in April. Skerritt’s title was deputy secretary health products regulation group, having been in the role for over a decade.

Tegan Brink was appointed Australia’s high commissioner to South Africa, as well as Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique and Namibia.

Eleri Morgan-Thomas was named the inaugural CEO of Homes Tasmania, a new agency on housing affordability.

Former APS commissioner Lynelle Briggs was enlisted to look into the “jobs for mates” culture of public sector appointments.

Former NSW departmental secretary Simon Draper was named the first permanent CEO of the NSW Reconstruction Authority. In August, he was made permanent secretary of the NSW Premier’s Department, taking over from Peter Duncan.

Adam Hatcher was appointed president of the Fair Work Commission.

Peter Duncan was named chair of the Australian Rail Track Corporation; Dr Collette Burke became non-executive director of the board.

Queensland under-treasurer Leon Allen was appointed chief executive officer of the Queensland Treasury Corporation.

Greg Melick was reappointed chief commissioner of the Tasmanian Integrity Commission.

March

NSW Court of Appeal judge Paul Brereton was named inaugural commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre CEO Nicole Rose and Australian Human Rights Commission disability discrimination commissioner Dr Ben Gauntlett were appointed deputy commissioners. Philip Reed was named CEO, Gail Furness inspector, and Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity commissioner Jaala Hinchcliffe acting deputy commissioner.

Justin Mohamed was named Australia’s first ambassador for First Nations People, leading the Office of First Nations Engagement in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The Northern Territory Liquor Commission appointed chair Russell Goldflam and deputy chair Jodi Truman.

Judith Slatyer was appointed chair of the NSW Net Zero Emissions and Clean Economy Board.

Retired major-general Jake Ellwood was appointed CEO of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority.

Graham Fraine was named the inaugural CEO of the Brisbane 2032 Coordination Office.

Tim Thomas became the inaugural CEO of the Centre for Australia-India Relations, following the appointment of its first chair Swati Dave.

Former Netflix executive Chris Oliver-Taylor was appointed the ABC’s inaugural chief content officer.

Arthur Sinodinos’ time as the Australian ambassador to the United States has ended, with former prime minister Kevin Rudd starting in the role.

The Victorian Public Sector Commission had a new head, with Brigid Monagle appointed the state’s public sector commissioner.

Western Australian public sector commissioner Sharyn O’Neill was appointed to a second term.

Freedom of Information commissioner Leo Hardiman took to social media to announce his resignation, just under a year into the role.

April

Land Court of Queensland president Fleur Kingham was appointed chair of the Queensland Law Reform Commission, following the resignation of Peter Applegarth.

The Victorian government named Peta McCammon the Families, Fairness and Housing secretary and Tim Ada the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions secretary.

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s David Locke was reappointed CEO and chief ombud for a second five-year term.

Former UK detective Michael Outram was reappointed as Australian Border Force commissioner until November 2024.

Lawyer and international labour expert Greg Vines became Comcare’s CEO.

Ian Biggs became Australia’s ambassador to Austria (and accredited to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia), and Dr Greg French became ambassador to the Netherlands.

Karen Bray became Australia’s high commissioner to Kiribati, and Allaster Cox became high commissioner to Singapore.

Anne Burgess was named chair of the Aged Care Council of Elders.

Andrew Johnson was appointed NT controller of water resources.

May

Dr Gordon de Brouwer, the secretary within PM&C leading the government’s public sector reform work alongside Professor Glyn Davis, was chosen to replace outgoing APS commissioner Peter Woolcott.

Victorian judge Emilios Kyrou became president of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and will be the inaugural president of the Administrative Review Tribunal, which replaces the AAT next year.

Former NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet secretary Michael Coutts-Trotter was made secretary of NSW Treasury.

Gavin Freeman was appointed commissioner of Fire Rescue Victoria.

Air Vice-Marshall Leon Phillips was appointed first chief of the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordinance Enterprise.

Major General Natasha Fox became the inaugural chief of personnel in the Australian Defence Force.

Sally Dale was appointed valuer general in NSW, the first woman in the role.

Dr Christine Connors was named the Northern Territory’s chief health officer.

Former Ladbrokes Australia CEO Jason Scott was appointed Racing Queensland CEO.

Dr Graham Hill was appointed state solicitor in Western Australia.

Former Australian Border Force assistant commissioner Emma Johnson was appointed chief executive of the Corruption and Crime Commission in Western Australia.

NSW Health deputy secretary, system sustainability and performance, Matthew Daly was appointed chair of the NSW Surgical Taskforce alongside South Western Sydney Local Health District program director of surgery Neil Merrett.

Former State Planning Commission member Elinor Walker was named the inaugural head of the Housing Infrastructure Planning and Development Unit, a new function within the SA Department for Trade and Investment.

Experienced public servant Jackie Bray was appointed the chief executive of the Department for Child Protection in South Australia.

June

Richard Bolt, a former secretary of the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, was announced as Hydro Tasmania chair.

Mick Keogh was reappointed for another five-year term as deputy chair at the ACCC.

Natasha Monks was named investment and trade commissioner for the Americas for the Western Australian government.

Peter de Cure was appointed chair of the Tax Practitioners Board, replacing Ian Klung.

Murat Dizdar‘s appointment as secretary of the NSW Department of Education was made permanent after acting in the role for two months.

Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton was appointed director of health and biosecurity at CSIRO.

For the first time in its history, a First Nations person was appointed president of the National Native Title Tribunal. Kevin Smith is a Torres Strait Islander man with over 28 years’ experience in native title and First Nations law.

State Records of NSW director Mary Darwell was appointed CEO of the Museum of History NSW, taking over from acting CEO John Vallance.

Former climate change minister Greg Combet was named Net Zero Agency chair.

Four diplomatic appointments were made: Todd Dais became consul-general in Makassar, Indonesia, Alison Duncan became ambassador to Greece (also accredited to Bulgaria and Romania), Philip Green became high commissioner to India, and Alison Shea became consul-general in Papeete, French Polynesia.

Maureen Lewis was appointed the mental health commissioner in Western Australia.

Jeswynn Yogaratnam was appointed Northern Territory’s anti-discrimination commissioner, replacing Sally Sievers.

Rebecca Andrews was appointed CEO of Manufacturing Skills Queensland.

July

Blair Comley was chosen to replace Department of Health and Aged Care secretary Brendan Murphy, who retired in early July.

Dr Anna Cody became sex discrimination commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Chris Barrett was appointed chair of the Productivity Commission, replacing Michael Brennan.

Ewen McDonald was named high commissioner to the Republic of Fiji and the inaugural special envoy for the Pacific and regional affairs.

Michael Hopkins was named CEO of the National Transport Commission.

Captain Jeanine Drummond became the first woman appointed chair of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority board.

Dr Joanne Coombe was appointed NSW chief veterinary officer, replacing Dr Sarah Britton.

Four diplomatic appointments were made: David Jessup to resident high commissioner for the Maldives, Matt Skelly to high commissioner for Malta (also accredited to Tunisia), Rachel Moseley to ambassador for Mexico (also accredited to Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic), Shane Flanagan to ambassador for Qatar, Brenton Garlick to high commissioner for Tuvalu, Vanessa Wood to ambassador for arms control and counter-proliferation, and James Larsen to ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.

Former Homelessness NSW CEO Trina Jones became NSW’s inaugural rental commissioner.

Travis Auld was appointed CEO of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, replacing Andrew Westacott.

Wendy Umberger became CEO of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, replacing Andrew Campbell.

Former federal department secretary Kathryn Campbell resigned from her AUKUS adviser role in Defence.

August

Adam Copp was named Infrastructure Australia CEO after acting in the role for a year.

ABC managing director David Anderson was reappointed for a five-year term.

Stephen Gageler was appointed chief justice at the High Court of Australia, taking over from chief justice Susan Kiefel.

Former sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins was appointed chair of the Creative Workplace Council.

Former pilot Peter Wilson was appointed aviation commissioner at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

Amy Crawford became CEO of the Australian Local Government Association. She was previously at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Social Services.

Former maths teacher Diane Joseph became chair of the Victorian Curriculum Board.

Jane Coram was named the first head of Environment Information Australia, a national environmental data and information office.

Founder and CEO of climate change advisory Pollination Martijn Wilder was named chair of the National Reconstruction Fund.

Dr Elizabeth Pietryzkowski was appointed CEO of Private Forests Tasmania, taking over from the retiring Penny Wells.

David Reynolds was appointed chief executive of Local Government NSW.

Michael Murphy‘s appointment as police commissioner and CEO of Fire and Emergency Services in the Northern Territory was made permanent.

September

Adam Fennessy commenced as secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. His appointment filled a vacancy created by the departure of Andrew Metcalfe, who retired in August.

Molecular and cellular biologist Professor Doug Hilton began his stint as CSIRO CEO, replacing Dr Larry Marshall.

Gunditjmara man Ashley Morris was appointed the First Nations Services director for Victorian Legal Aid, replacing Lawrence Moser.

Former health minister and attorney general Nicola Roxon was appointed chair of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

The Grattan Institute’s Danielle Wood was announced as chair of the Productivity Commission. Chris Barrett, who was previously named as Michael Brennan’s replacement, took up the role of Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance secretary instead.

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety CEO Padma Raman was appointed executive director of the Office for Women.

Grant Hunt was appointed chair of Tourism and Events Queensland, replacing Brett Godfrey, and Dr Neale Fong became chair of the WA Institute of Sport board.

Mary-Therese Daniel was appointed president of the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Steven Fox started as the new parliamentary librarian. Fox joined from the National Archives of Australia, where he was assistant director-general collection management.

Jake Blight was appointed independent national security legislation monitor, the first full-time monitor.

Doug Niven’s appointment as chair of the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board was made permanent.

Former public servant professor Genevieve Bell was named the next vice chancellor of ANU, taking over from Brian Schmidt.

Services Australia CEO Rebecca Skinner announced she was stepping down from the role.

October

Jason Lange, executive director at the Office of Impact Analysis within PM&C, moved to the Department of Health and Aged Care to help establish Australia’s Centre for Disease Control.

Former WA Police Force assistant commissioner Brad Royce became corrective services commissioner at the Department of Justice.

Former acting chief executive of Sydney Metro Tom Gellibrand was named chief executive for Infrastructure NSW.

Lyn McGrath was appointed the new chair of the Australian Digital Health Agency, replacing Dr Elizabeth Deveny.

Julie Bullas was appointed to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau as rail commissioner.

Former Queensland Fire and Emergency Services commissioner Greg Leach became Victoria State Emergency Service CEO.

Nine diplomatic appointments were made: John Geering as ambassador to the Russian Federation, Scott Dewar as ambassador to China, Gareth Williams as consul-general in Hong Kong, Jo Stevens as consul-general in Bali, Paul Wilson as ambassador to the Marshall Islands, John Feakes as high commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Frances Sagala as ambassador to Sweden, Sri Ayyalaraju as ambassador to Estonia, and Anna Chrisp as ambassador to the Republic of Colombia.

Millie Millgate was appointed the director of Music Australia, the recently established organisation within Creative Australia.

November

Former department secretary Andrew Metcalfe became IPAA national president, taking over from Renee Leon.

Former NSW public service commissioner Graeme Head returned to the state’s public service as secretary of the Department of Customer Service, replacing Emma Hogan.

Dr Natalie Pelham was appointed CEO of the National Rail Safety Regulator, coming from her role as chief investigator of the NSW Office of Transport Safety Investigations.

Pro vice-chancellor (sustainability and research integrity) at QUT Professor Kerrie Wilson began her term as Queensland’s chief scientist.

Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon became NSW’s state librarian. Butler-Bowdon was acting deputy secretary, cities and active transport, at Transport for NSW.

Emma Cole became chair of the WA State Emergency Management Committee, taking over from Dr Ron Edwards.

Jeremy Fewtrell took over from Paul Baxter as commissioner for Fire and Rescue NSW.

Dr Lucas de Toca was named Australia’s new ambassador for Global Health, while Greer Alblas became an ambassador and full-time UNESCO delegate.

Experienced project manager and consultant Gerard Coggan was announced as Queensland’s coordinator-general.

Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo had his appointment terminated pursuant to section 59 of the Public Service Act following an independent investigation. Stephanie Foster, who was acting secretary while Pezzullo was being investigated, was confirmed as a permanent replacement for the role.

December

David Hazlehurst, a former secretariat head for the NDIS review and CEO of the Digital Transformation Office, was named as Rebecca Skinner‘s replacement at Services Australia.

Former Australian Institute of Health and Welfare CEO Rob Heferen was appointed Australian Taxation Office commissioner, replacing Chris Jordan.

Anthony Lean was confirmed as secretary of the new NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Kiersten Fishburn, who was picked to lead the Department of Planning and Environment in July, will be head of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure once Lean takes the reins.

It was announced Elizabeth Tydd and Carly Kind were to be Freedom of Information commissioner and privacy commissioner, respectively.

Human rights lawyer Rosemary Kayess was appointed disability discrimination commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, replacing Dr Ben Gauntlett.

Deputy public interest monitor Victoria Elliott took over as commissioner of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission from acting commissioner Stephen Farrow.

Six diplomatic appointments were made: Jeff Robinson as ambassador to Korea, Paul Lehmann as ambassador to Ukraine, Chris Elstoft as consul-general in Chicago, Danielle Heinecke as high commissioner to Malaysia, Sara Moriarty as high commissioner to Nauru, and John Williams as consul-general in Shanghai.