Malcolm Turnbull’s chief of staff Drew Clarke, former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, high commissioner to Canada Tony Negus and Perth Zoo chairman Brian Easton all have something in common: they’ve been made Officers in the Order of Australia (AO) for their contributions to field of public administration.
Broderick, who was also an Australian of the Year 2016 finalist, received her AO for her “seminal contributions to human rights, to the prevention of violence against women and children, to public administration, and to the law” mainly through her eight influential years at the Human Rights Commission.
Clarke, who first reached the top level of the Australian Public Service as secretary of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism in April, 2010, was recognised with an AO for “distinguished service to public administration, communications and energy policy initiatives and reform, and to the spatial information industry.”
Western Australia’s only AO recipient was Brian Easton, the chair and former chief executive of the state’s Zoological Parks Authority (Perth Zoo), who also chairs the WA Conservation Commission and the Perth Market Authority. Along with distinguished service to public administration over a 30-year public service career, Easton was honoured for his efforts in conservation and environmental protection and aged care.
Negus, Australia’s representative to Canada, appears in the prestigious AO list for his career in policing which culminated in a stint as Australian Federal Police commissioner between 2009 and 2014. He is also recognised for contributing to “governance reform, and to national and international inter-agency counter-terrorism cooperation”.
Among the newest Members in the Order of Australia (AM), we find a few more public administration professionals including the director-general of New South Wales Health, Mary Foley, whose service to education, health care and the community is acknowledged.
Former Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity chief Philip Moss, who recently investigated child abuse allegations at the Nauru immigration detention centre, can also now add AM to his name. His significant services to public administration were in the areas of “anti-corruption and human rights” and through his former role as integrity commissioner.
Sydney City Councillor John Mant, one of Australia’s foremost experts on local government administration, also made the AM list for service to public administration “as an advisor to local and state governments” on urban planning.
Former chief of the Defence Science Technology Organisation’s land division, Simon Oldfield, also received an AM “for distinguished service to science, particularly in the areas of defence materiel, nutrition, and improved equipment for military personnel, and to international research collaboration”.
Another Western Australian, Wendy Ireland, was awarded a Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to public administration and the community.
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