Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia)
The Australian Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is the public service head of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the most senior public servant in the administration of Government in Australia.
List of Secretaries of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Below is the list of Secretaries, since the first appointment was made on 1 January 1912.
Order | Name | Title | Date appointment commenced | Date appointment ceased | Term in office | Prime Minister(s) | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Malcolm Shepherd, CMG | Secretary to the Prime Minister's Department | 1 January 1912 | 27 January 1921 | 9 years, 26 days | Fisher; Cook; Fisher; Hughes | [1] |
2 | Percy Deane, CMG | 11 February 1921 | 31 December 1928 | 7 years, 324 days | Hughes; Bruce | [2] | |
3 | Sir John McLaren, CMG | 1 January 1929 | 2 March 1933 | 4 years, 60 days | Bruce; Scullin; Lyons | [3] | |
4 | John Starling, CMG, OBE | 3 March 1933 | 10 November 1935 | 2 years, 252 days | Lyons | ||
5 | Frank Strahan, CVO, CBE | 11 November 1935 | 25 August 1949 | 13 years, 287 days | Lyons; Page; Menzies; Fadden; Curtin; Forde; Chifley | ||
6 | Sir Allen Brown, CBE | 25 August 1949 | 31 December 1958 | 9 years, 128 days | Menzies | ||
7 | Sir John Bunting, CBE | 1 January 1959 | 10 March 1968 | 9 years, 69 days | Menzies; Holt; McEwen; Gorton | ||
8 | Sir Lenox Hewitt, OBE | 11 March 1968 | 12 March 1971 | 3 years, 1 day | Gorton; McMahon | [4] | |
n/a | Sir John Bunting, CBE | Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | 17 March 1971 | 31 January 1975 | 3 years, 320 days | McMahon; Whitlam | [5][6] |
9 | John Menadue | 1 February 1975 | 30 September 1976 | 1 year, 242 days | Whitlam; Fraser | [6][7] | |
10 | Sir Alan Carmody, CBE | 1 October 1976 | 12 April 19781 | 1 year, 193 days | Fraser | [7][8][9][10] | |
11 | Sir Geoffrey Yeend, AC, CBE | 18 April 1978 | 10 February 1986 | 7 years, 298 days | Fraser; Hawke | [11][12][13] | |
12 | Mike Codd, AC | 10 February 1986 | 1 December 1991 | 5 years, 294 days | Hawke | [12] | |
13 | Dr Michael Keating, AC | 1 December 1991 | 13 May 1996 | 4 years, 164 days | Hawke; Keating; Howard | [14] | |
14 | Max Moore-Wilton, AC | 13 May 1996 | 20 December 2002 | 6 years, 221 days | Howard | [14][15] | |
15 | Dr Peter Shergold, AC | 10 February 2003 | 28 February 2008 | 5 years, 20 days | Howard; Rudd | [16] | |
16 | Terry Moran, AC | 3 March 2008 | 5 September 2011 | 3 years, 186 days | Rudd; Gillard | [17] | |
17 | Dr Ian Watt, AO | 5 September 2011 | 30 November 2014 | 3 years, 86 days | Gillard; Rudd; Abbott | [18] | |
18 | Michael Thawley, AO | 1 December 2014 | incumbent | 1 year, 67 days | Abbott, Turnbull | [19] |
- Notes
- ^1 Sir Alan Carmody CBE died suddenly of coronary vascular disease on 12 April 1978; during the term of his appointment.[9][10]
Historical arrangements
Within days of John Gorton becoming Prime Minister, the functions of the Prime Minister's Department was split and a Department of the Cabinet Office was established.[4][20][21][22][23] On taking office as Prime Minister in 1971, William McMahon reversed Gorton's changes and restored earlier changes via the creation of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. A lesser role of Secretary to the Department of the Vice-President of the Executive Council was established for a short time; abolished in the early days of the Whitlam government.[24][25][26] Upon election to office in 1996, John Howard established a separate Cabinet Office within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Cabinet Office was a small unit, staffed from within and outside the public service, which provided the Prime Minister with advice on issues before Cabinet as well as strategic policy directions.[27]
Secretary to the Department of the Cabinet Office
Order | Name | Title | Date appointment commenced | Date appointment ceased | Term in office | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sir John Bunting CBE | Secretary to the Department of the Cabinet Office | 11 March 1968 | 17 March 1971 | 3 years, 6 days | [4] |
2 | Michael L'Estrange AO | Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Cabinet Policy Unit | 8 March 1996 | 30 June 2000 | 4 years, 114 days | [27][28] |
Secretary to the Department of the Vice-President of the Executive Council
Order | Name | Title | Date appointment commenced | Date appointment ceased | Term in office | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sir Lenox Hewitt | Secretary to the Department of the Vice-President of the Executive Council | 17 March 1971 | 20 December 1972 | 1 year, 278 days | [24][29] |
References
- ↑ CA 12: Prime Minister's Department, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 23 March 2014
- ↑ Murray-Smith, S. (1981). "Deane, Percival Edgar (Percy) (1890–1946)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ↑ McDonald, D. I. (1986). "McLaren, Sir John Gilbert (1871–1958)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- 1 2 3 Gorton, John (11 March 1968). "For press: PM. No. 31/ 1968 Department of the Cabinet Office - Statement by the Prime Minister, Mr John Gorton". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ↑ McMahon, William (12 March 1971). "New Administrative Arrangements - Statement by the Prime Minister, Mr William McMahon". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- 1 2 Whitlam, Gough (23 August 1974). "Appointments approved by the Executive Council". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- 1 2 Fraser, Malcolm (6 September 1976). "Senior government appointments". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ↑ Hyslop, Robert (1993). "Carmody, Sir Alan Thomas (1920–1978)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- 1 2 "Sir Alan Carmody: at the top of the bureaucracy". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 April 1978. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- 1 2 "Obituary: Sir Alan Carmody: a controversial initiator of government activity". The Canberra Times (National Library of Australia). 13 April 1978. p. 2. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ↑ Fraser, Malcolm (18 April 1978). "Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- 1 2 Hawke, Bob (10 February 1986). "For media". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ↑ "Yeend named to head PM's.". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) (ACT: National Library of Australia). 19 April 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- 1 2 Howard, John (9 April 1996). "Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ↑ Howard, John (20 December 2002). "Retirement of Max Moore-Wilton AC". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ↑ Howard, John (2 February 2003). "Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ↑ Rudd, Kevin (6 February 2008). "Secretary of Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ↑ Gillard, Julia (4 August 2011). "Departmental Secretaries". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ↑ Abbott, Tony (20 October 2014). "Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 26 January 2015.
- ↑ Browne, Geoffrey; Millar, Ann; Evans, Harry (2010), "Gorton, Sir John Grey (1911-2002)", The biographical dictionary of the Australian Senate. Volume 3, 1962-1983, University of New South Wales Press, pp. 22–23, ISBN 978-0-86840-996-2, retrieved 5 November 2013
- ↑ "PM plans to split his department". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) (ACT: National Library of Australia). 2 March 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ↑ Gaul, Jonathan (5 March 1968). "A think-tank and a Secretariat". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) (ACT: National Library of Australia). p. 2. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ↑ Gaul, Jonathan (12 March 1968). "PM forms a Cabinet department". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) (ACT: National Library of Australia). p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- 1 2 McMahon, William (17 March 1971). "Permanent Head of Department of the Vice-President of the Executive Council - Statement by the Prime Minister, Mr William McMahon". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ↑ Solomon, David (13 March 1971). "PM sets up new departments.". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) (ACT: National Library of Australia). p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- ↑ "System inefficient.". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) (ACT: National Library of Australia). 13 March 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
- 1 2 Howard, John (8 March 1996). "Statement by the Prime Minister designate, The Hon John Howard MP". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ↑ Howard, John (2 February 2000). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to the United Kingdom". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ↑ Whitlam, Gough (20 December 1972). "Appointment of Permanent Heads". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 30 October 2013.