| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Names | Secretary |
Occupation type | Public servant |
Activity sectors | Australian Government andstate and territory governments |
| Description | |
| Competencies | |
Related jobs | |
In Australia, adepartmental secretary is the most seniorpublic servant of anAustralian Government orstate government department. They are typically responsible for the day-to-day actions of a department.
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A departmental secretary is in theory,[1] a non-political, non-elected public servant head (and "responsible officer") of government departments, who generally holds their position for a number of years.[2] A departmental secretary works closely with the electedgovernment minister that oversees the Commonwealthdepartment or state government department in order to bring about policy and program initiatives that the government of day was elected to achieve. A departmental secretary works with other departments and agencies to ensure the delivery of services and programs within the nominated area of responsibility.
The secretary is also known as the chief executive of the department; the position is equivalent to thepermanent secretary of a government department in theUnited Kingdom and is similar to thedirector general in some non-Commonwealth countries, or thechief executive officer (CEO) in a private company.
In the Australian government, secretaries are the responsible officers for departments. They are answerable to theAustralian Parliament for ensuring that the department performs all the functions assigned to it and spends money appropriately, as granted by the Parliament. Secretaries are frequently called for questioning by theJoint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, theHouse of Representatives committees and theSenate committees.
ThePublic Service Act 1999 requires thesecretary of theDepartment of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to provide a report to theprime minister of the day about the suitability of potential candidates as departmental secretary. The report is prepared in conjunction with thepublic service commissioner. Appointments and terminations as departmental secretary are made by thegovernor-general on the advice of the prime minister under Sections 58 and 59 respectively of theAct.[3][4]
Since removal oftenure under Prime MinisterPaul Keating, departmental secretaries are generally aware that while dismissals are not common, following a change of government, failure to re-appoint a secretary is certainly a frequent occurrence.[5] In thefirst Rudd government, secretaries were appointed for a five-year term; prior to this a term of three years was common.[6] In 1999, theHoward government sought to removePaul BarrattAO as the secretary of the Department of Defence after Barratt fell out of favour with hisminister.[7] Despite being offered adiplomatic post, Barratt refused to vacate the role and commenced legal action,[8] claimingunfair dismissal and that the government had failed to followdue process.[9] Barratt had a temporarystay,[10] but was dismissed within 14 days,[11] and subsequently lost, on appeal in theFederal Court.[12]
The most senior Commonwealth public servant is the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, currentlySteven Kennedy.[13]
There are currently 16 secretaries within the Australian Government.[14]
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