I am pleased to announce new arrangements for Departmental Secretaries, which will take effect from 5 September 2011.
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet:
The Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Mr Terry Moran AO, informed me of his intention to retire in January 2011. Mr Moran agreed to my request to stay while seeing through a number of critical projects for 2011, notably health reform, the development of our carbon pricing package and the 2011 Budget's skills and participation package.
Mr Moran has been an outstanding Secretary to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, a position that he assumed in March 2008.
He has proven to be an excellent public sector leader and manager and I am profoundly grateful for his support and counsel.
He brought to his tenure a passion for innovative thinking in policy development and the development of good policy, a strong commitment to traditional Westminster values in public administration, and an unrelenting focus on achieving a collaborative culture within the public service that places citizens and their needs at the centre of policy development and delivery.
He chaired the Advisory Group on the Reform of Australian Government Administration which developed a comprehensive blueprint for reform of the Australian Public Service. The recommendations were accepted in full by the Government on 8 May 2010 and implementation is well advanced.
He has made a major contribution to effective government in senior leadership positions over some twenty four years in a number of jurisdictions and across a broad range of economic and social policy. This includes a distinguished career in leadership positions in the public services of Victoria (on two occasions) and Queensland, with senior roles in public policy development and public sector management. He was also the first Chief Executive Officer of the Australian National Training Authority for over five years until August 1998.
Mr Moran has been an active contributor to the COAG reform process, and has had a long standing interest in building public policy capacity. He led the establishment of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZOG) in 2003, the formation of the Grattan Institute in 2008 and the Wheeler Centre: Books, Writing, Ideas. Most recently he was actively involved in the formation of the Australian National Institute of Public Policy at the ANU.
Mr Moran was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in June 2006 in recognition of his service to public sector leadership in key policy areas.
I have very much valued Mr Moran's wise counsel and support and his passion for good policy. I trust that his services can be called upon by the government from time to time in the years to come.
Dr Ian Watt AO will succeed Mr Moran. I congratulate him on his appointment.
Dr Watt has served successive governments in senior leadership positions in the APS, most recently as Secretary of Defence. Previously he served as Secretary of the Department of Finance and Deregulation (formerly Finance and Administration) and Secretary of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
He brings to the position a wealth of experience in both policy development and implementation and administrative reform.
Dr Watt was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in June 2008 for service to the community through the development of public policy and administration in the areas of finance and governance, budget and expenditure policy, taxation reform, and through contributions to international professional finance organisations.
Department of Defence:
Mr Duncan Lewis AO, DSC, CSC will be appointed Secretary of the Department of Defence.
Mr Lewis is currently the National Security Adviser, a position he has held at Associate Secretary level in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet since 4 December 2008.
He had previously held senior policy advisory roles in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet after a very distinguished career spanning some thirty years as an officer in the Australian Army.
For his service as Commander Special Forces and as the inaugural Special Operations Commander Australia, Mr Lewis was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in January 2005.
The Australian Public Service is an important institution in our democracy. It is peopled by men and women dedicated to improving our national life. It has been well and capably led by Mr Terry Moran and I am confident that this calibre of leadership will now be displayed by Dr Watt.