Jane Halton AO PSM has advised me that she wishes to tender her resignation as Secretary of the Department of Finance with effect from 14 October 2016.
Ms Halton was first appointed as a Secretary in 2002 and she led the Department of Health for 12 years before being appointed to the Department of Finance in 2014. She has had a long and distinguished career at the highest levels of the Australian Public Service, being the longest serving Secretary of the Department of Health and the first woman appointed to head a Commonwealth Central Agency.
Ms Halton has made an enormous contribution in public life both nationally and internationally and has been a leader for women in the public sector.
I thank her for her service and have no doubt that she will continue to contribute to the nation. I wish her all the very best for the future.