Beyond Ken Henry: a guide to (other) department secretaries
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Few are the public servants who can speak their minds, even in as guarded a fashion as Ken Henry did earlier this week. Most department heads keep a low profile, even in the world of 24/Kevin where frank’n’fearless advice is encouraged, and in any event their influence heavily depends on their ministers and where they sit in the Prime Minister’s priorities. But who are these people? Prime Minister and Cabinet, Terry Moran:
Finance, Ian Watt:
Defence, Nick Warner:
Family and Community Services, Jeff Harmer: Harmer has worked extensively in social policy and became Education Secretary in 2003 before moving to Family and Community Services in 2004. He’s the other half — the quiet half — of the Henry Review, working on the politically more sensitive issue of transfer payments and, of course, pensions. What he and Henry — with the help of Greg Smith, John Piggott and the inevitable Heather Ridout — cook up on pensions in February will have a major bearing on the Government’s electoral fortunes, especially in a declining economy. No pressure Jeff. Health, Jane Halton: The former Jazzercise instructor is a strong candidate for the most hated woman in Canberra for Kids Overboard. But she had the last laugh when the Government reappointed her earlier this year despite universal expectations she’d be taken out and shot. There was some logic to the Government’s desire to avoid upheaval, especially after veteran health bureaucrat Mick Reid came and quickly left Nicola Roxon’s staff. The Howard Government treated Health as a vast research arm and program delivery agency, while keeping policy control firmly in the grip of the Prime Minister’s Office and PM&C. Under Rudd and Roxon, Health is now doing more hard policy yakka, particularly in relation to population health initiatives. But Health will always be about Commonwealth-State relations, and that means the PMO will continue to be the real arbiter of health policy. Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Lisa Paul: Another social policy veteran, Lisa Paul heads the truly vast Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the only Department the org chart of which needs an A3 piece of paper to be properly viewed. Like Health, much of DEEWR’s activities are devoted to working with, plotting against and putting up with the states. Unlike Health, DEEWR’s Minister has the power base and intellectual firepower to run her own agenda how she likes. Foreign Affairs and Trade, Michael L’Estrange: A history graduate from Sydney University — he must be a top bloke — L’Estrange is the most solidly Coalition-aligned of the Secretaries and even Greg Sheridan was canvassing his departure when his appointment expires next year. L’Estrange was part of the Howard inner circle as long-time adviser and Cabinet Secretary, and had a stint as Howard’s High Commissioner in London before taking over at DFAT. L’Estrange’s biggest problem, however, is that he has a Prime Minister who is his own Foreign Minister and wants to be a Player on the world stage despite taking a healthy chunk out of DFAT’s budget earlier this year. Climate Change, Martin Parkinson: Rare is the Secretary who gets to start up a whole new Department. Although cobbled together from bits of Treasury and Environment, the Department of Climate Change is front and centre in the Government’s agenda. Dr Parkinson — who worked for John Kerin, Ralph Willis and John Dawkins last time Labor was in power — has unimpeachable economic credentials, including a doctorate from Princeton and experience with the IMF. The problem, critics say, is that there are too many economists at DCC and this is skewing the Government toward a highly conservative position on emissions trading. |
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6 Comments
I don’t care who they are. But, what do they get paid?
Marilyn: Because no-one else wants it?
I would have liked to have seen a comment about the Minister for giving us a dumbed down and slow internet, Conroy. WHo’s his secretary?
Andrew Metcalfe kept his job when he is still part of the horror stories still coming from DIAC.
Mick Keelty is a public servant with a big mouth and an appalling profile and now reputation in the toilet. Why does he have his job?
I really enjoyed this article and would like to see summaries on the remaining secretaries. Have you got another article on this one in you?
Almost all blokes.
“candidate for most hated woman in Canberra for Kids Overboard” certainly caches the attention, is long on the attribution of calumny and short on information. what on earth do you mean, Bernard?