Senior Executive Service
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Heike Phillips has moved from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to the Department of Home Affairs as the new assistant secretary of media and communication.
Christie McClure has been promoted to general counsel for Public Law and assistant secretary for legal services at the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.
Carmel Curran is now assistant secretary for communication and media at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Samantha Mostyn revealed as Australia’s next governor-general
Samantha Mostyn will succeed David Hurley as Australia’s governor-general on July 1.
Mostyn has worked across a range of sectors, including government, business, advocacy and the legal sector. She has been a trailblazer for women in leadership, having been the first female AFL commissioner, from 2005 to 2016. She is credited with having sowed the seeds of the AFLW boom during her time in that role.
Early in her career, she worked as a communications adviser to Paul Keating, and for legendary Australian judge Michael Kirby in the NSW Court of Appeals.
She has worked at senior levels in telecommunications and insurance companies in Australia and globally. She has also held senior non-executive roles on boards, including Transurban and Virgin Australia, and has been chair of Citibank Australia. She currently chairs AWARE Super and Alberts Music Group and is on the board of Mirvac.
Mostyn has chaired multiple not-for-profit boards, including Beyond Blue, the Foundation of Young Australians, Australians Investing in Women, Ausfilm, and the Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety and Australian Volunteers International. She has been president of the Australian Council for International Development and president of Chief Executive Women as well as a National Mental Health Commissioner.
In 2021, Mostyn was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to business, the community and women. She has been a member of the Australian Faculty of The Prince of Wales’s Business & Sustainability Programme for 12 years, and a senior associate in the International Programme.
The governor-general holds office at the pleasure of the king, although the term is understood to be five years.
Mostyn will serve as Australia’s 28th governor-general, following in the footsteps of Quentin Bryce as the second woman to hold the role.
NSW governor’s term extended
NSW premier Chris Minns has confirmed Margaret Beazley has agreed to a two-year extension as the governor of NSW.
Prior to her original appointment, Beazley had a distinguished law career spanning 43 years, during which time she served as a role model for women in law at both the state and national levels.
She was appointed QC in 1989 and made a judge of the Federal Court of Australia in 1993 – the first woman to sit exclusively in that court. In 1996, she achieved the distinction of being the first woman appointed to the NSW Court of Appeal and, subsequently, the first woman to be appointed as its president.
Beazley served on a number of occasions as administrator of the NSW government. She was made an officer in the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2006 for services to the judiciary and the law.
Beazley was appointed as NSW’s 39th governor on May 2, 2019. This will extend her term to 2026 following the acceptance of her extension.
NSW top cop chosen to lead state reconstruction authority
NSW Police Force deputy commissioner Mal Lanyon will take on the role of Reconstruction Authority acting CEO on Monday. It is understood he will serve in the position for six months.
The NSW government announced that responsibilities for its Reconstruction Authority will no longer sit under the umbrella of Premier’s Department boss Simon Draper from next week.
Lanyon led flood recovery efforts as the northern NSW recovery coordinator in 2022. He is a career police officer and has been deputy police commissioner since 2019. He was previously an assistant commissioner. He was considered a frontrunner to replace former police commissioner Mick Fuller in 2021, until he allegedly told a paramedic to f*** off.
Lanyon received an Australian Police Medal in 2011 for distinguished service.
Science leadership convenes to support defence
Defence has appointed three experienced personnel to help lead defence science into the future.
Professor Emily Hilder has been appointed head of the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), bringing experience 20 years’ experience working in defence, with industry and within universities.
Hilder is supported by Simon Firth, a former BAE systems professional as assistant secretary, ASCA capability transition. Firth has more than 15 years of complex international transactional experience, including managing channel partners in South America and the Asia Pacific.
Defence Science and Technology Group will be led by Suneel Randhawa, who has taken on the role of chief of the information sciences division. Randhawa has decades of research expertise in cyber security, cyber warfare and artificial intelligence.
The ASCA External Advisory Board also recently met for the first time with some of Australia’s top scientists and technology and industry advisors lending their expertise to rapidly translate innovative technologies into capabilities.
The inaugural External Advisory Board consists of leading professionals from industry and academia, including:
- Australia’s chief scientist, Dr Cathy Foley
- Deputy vice-chancellor research and Innovation at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Professor Calum Drummond
- Former CEO of the Technology Council of Australia, Kate Pounder
- CEO of Silentium Defence, Dr James Palmer
- Independent non-executive director, Dr Peter Yates.
ANU announces provost and senior vice-president
Professor Rebekah Brown has been appointed provost and senior vice-president of The Australian National University (ANU).
Brown has more than a decade in senior academic leadership at Monash University, where she championed equity and inclusion, drove significant increases in research revenue and performance, and founded innovative initiatives to support staff and students to ensure capability development and excellence.
Brown has published 220 papers in journals including Nature and Science, and has served on the editorial boards of several research publications. Under her executive leadership, Monash University’s annual research revenue increased by 70 per cent over five years and ranked first in the Go8 for research quality.
She was the founding director of the Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments project supported by the Wellcome Trust, an ambitious interdisciplinary research program working at the intersections of health, environment, and water and sanitation.
Prior to her work in the higher education sector, she was a practising civil engineer and worked for leading firms across the United Kingdom, Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa.
Professor Brown will start her role at ANU on June 17.
NT police commissioner announces new appointments
The Northern Territory Police Force has announced the appointment of three assistant commissioners.
Janelle Tonkin currently serves as the acting assistant commissioner of the Territory Community Safety Coordination Centre.
Tonkin’s extensive qualifications and training, including a Masters in International Police Leadership, and executive coaching & professional leadership facilitator certification, underscore her commitment to continuous improvement and excellence.
Matt Hollamby, acting assistant commissioner of greater Darwin, road policing and support, boasts 39 years of experience with NT Police. His tenure as a commander and his remarkable achievements, such as his instrumental role in managing flooding events in the western Top End, exemplify his dedication to public service and crisis management.
Hollamby’s qualifications include a Graduate Certificate in Applied Management, reflecting his ongoing pursuit of knowledge and expertise in policing leadership.
Peter Kennon is currently serving as the acting assistant commissioner of people and wellbeing, bringing over 26 years of experience to his new role. His proficiency in financial control, human resource management, and innovative problem-solving has been instrumental in driving organisational change and enhancing service delivery.
Kennon has completed the counter-terrorism senior investigating officer course and the company directors course.
Incoming commissioners welcomed by AFP
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have welcomed the appointment of two long-serving AFP officers to the rank of deputy commissioner, including to the role of chief police officer of ACT policing.
Krissy Barrett will manage the National Security portfolio, and Scott Lee has become the substantive chief police officer of the ACT following the retirement of deputy commissioner Neil Gaughan.
The two new deputies will work alongside deputy commissioner crime Ian McCartney and deputy commissioner international and specialist capabilities command, Lesa Gale.
It is the first time the AFP has had two female sworn deputy commissioners in its permanent senior executive team, with Gale and Barrett the second and third women to be appointed to the rank.
Barrett was previously assistant commissioner of counter-terrorism and special investigations, which includes foreign interference and espionage.
During her 22 years with the AFP, she has held senior positions, including assistant commissioner for southern command (Victoria/Tasmania).
For her distinguished service to the Solomon Islands and the Bali Bombings investigation, Barrett was awarded a Police Overseas Medal in 2004 and an Operations Medal in 2005.
Lee has spent 38 years with the AFP, with roles including assistant commissioner specialist protective command, assistant commissioner of counter-terrorism and special investigations; and assistant commissioner of international operations.
Lee most recently performed the role of assistant commissioner of cyber command, combatting the growing threat of cybercrime targeting Australian governments, businesses, academia and financial institutions.
He received an Australian Police Medal in 2014, National Police Service Medal in 2000 and a Commissioner’s Commendation for excellence in overseas service for his role in the AFP’s response to the Bali Bombings and as AFP senior officer in Bangkok.
Governor-General David Hurley approved the two new appointments on March 28.
SES boss Carlene York steps down
NSW SES commissioner Carlene York has announced she will retire in May.
York was the first woman to lead an emergency services agency in the state when she joined the SES in October 2019 after almost four decades in the NSW Police Force.
Her time at the helm coincided with several major natural disasters in NSW, including the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires and 2022 Northern Rivers floods.
Deputy commissioners Damien Johnston and Deborah Platz will alternate as acting commissioner while a permanent head is recruited.
Interim Australian Energy Infrastructure commissioner
John Sheldon has been named interim Australian energy infrastructure commissioner.
He has worked with DCCEEW since August last year as director of social licence policy. Prior to this, he was director of the International Economics and Green Economy Division at DFAT.
In his current role as director of social licence policy, Sheldon has worked on energy infrastructure and transmission projects. He has extensive experience in the Indigenous policy space, having worked at the Northern Land Council and Indigenous Business Australia in a variety of leadership roles.
Sheldon began her role this week following the retirement of Andrew Dyer. The appointment of a permanent commissioner is slated for June.
Two plum positions for Seiden
Sydney barrister Rashelle Seiden has been appointed deputy president and head of the administrative and equal opportunity division and the occupational division of the civil and administrative tribunal of NSW (NCAT), and a judge of the District Court of NSW.
Appointed a senior counsel for NSW in 2013, Seiden has practised at Ground Floor Wentworth Chambers and, most recently, New Chambers.
She has been a principal member (sessional) of NCAT, and is regarded as an astute strategist with an ability to bring clarity to complex issues.
Seiden was first called to the Queensland Bar in 1996 before being admitted to the NSW Bar in 2000. She will be sworn in as a judge of the District Court of NSW on April 15.
Appointments to Classification Board
The government has reappointed Jennifer Marvello and appointed Lauren Monaghan as members of the Classification Board.
The Classification Board makes classification decisions and provides advice about the content of films, computer games and certain publications to help Australians make informed choices about what they and their families watch, read and play.
Marvello has served on the Board since January 2020. She previously worked at the commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department where she developed and delivered training to industry assessors making classification decisions. She has trained customs officers in drug detection technologies, interpretation of X-ray images, and identification of prohibited imports and exports, particularly films and publications that had been or were likely to be refused classification.
Monaghan is an experienced communications manager, having worked with the Parliament of New South Wales’ Department of the Legislative Council as well as in the private sector. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Media and Communications from Sydney University.
The Government has also confirmed Dominique Irlinger’s appointment to the Classification Board on a full-time basis for the remainder of his current term. Irlinger has served as the acting deputy director since 13 January 2024.
Independent Planning Commission chair named
Andrew Mills will take on the chair of the Independent Planning Commission replacing Professor Mary O’Kane who has completed her maximum term on the Commission.
Mills has 40 years of experience in a wide range of senior government, accounting, legal and academic roles.He is currently the chair of the Financial Reporting Council, chair of Cemeteries & Crematoria NSW and a principal fellow/associate professor at the University of Melbourne Law School.
He is a current member of the Board of Taxation and was previously the Second Commissioner of Taxation and a member of the Executive of the Australian Taxation Office. Mills was appointed as a Commissioner with the Independent Planning Commission in February 2023 and has been a member of its Risk and Compliance Committee since 2020.
Mills was selected following an independent recruitment and selection process and his appointment was endorsed by Cabinet.
Kilpatrick appointed chair of Safety and Quality in Health Care Commission
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has welcomed the appointment of Professor Christine Kilpatrick as board chair for a five-year term.
Kilpatrick has served as a non-executive member of the commission’s board since July 2023. Her distinguished career includes healthcare management experience spanning 20 years as a senior executive. This includes 15 years as a chief executive, most recently at The Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Prior to this, she was a neurologist specialising in epilepsy, working in both public and private practice.
Kilpatrick is also a board member of Healthdirect Australia and the Florey. She has previously served on the board of HealthShare Victoria, the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Alliance and as chair of the Doherty Institute and Victorian Quality Council (VQC). She is an Enterprise Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne.
Kilpatrick’s accolades include a 2001 Centenary Medal, being made an officer of the Order of Australia in 2019 and was recipient of the Distinguished Fellow’s Award, Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators in 2017.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler confirmed Kilpatrick’s appointment as chair and a number of other board members including:
- Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite, a leading health services and systems researcher with a strong international reputation and deep knowledge of innovation and system reform culture.
- Doctor Alicia Veasey — a Torres Strait Islander obstetrician and gynaecologist with significant experience in First Nations advocacy in health care.
- Leanne Wells — a respected health advocate and former longstanding CEO of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia, brings consumer advocacy and extensive governance experience.
Dr Helena Williams (reappointment) — a longstanding board member since 2012 with expertise in general practice as a practising GP, which is critical to the commission’s focus on primary care.
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