Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Australia's new number one bureaucrat is...

...Terry Moran.

Just in from the PM:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Terry Moran AO as the new Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Mr Moran will begin his appointment on 3 March 2008.

Mr Moran is currently Secretary of the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet and has led four public sector organisations as CEO over the last 20 years...

In a public service career which began in Canberra in early 1973 as a Commonwealth Public Service Board Administrative Trainee, Mr Moran has worked at the Commonwealth level twice. In all, nearly half his public service career has been at the Commonwealth level.

In Victoria he was CEO of the Victorian State Training Board, later CEO of the Australian National Training Authority and then Director General of Education for Queensland. His leadership roles have involved substantial contributions to public policy, development of major reforms and the management of very large public sector organisations.

More recently, Mr Moran has played a strong role in the emergence of the National Reform Agenda and a succession of plans for the state which provide a strategic framework for all departments and agencies. Within and between Governments he has consistently advocated a new approach to Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments working together to improve the delivery of basic government services for all Australians.

As the senior Victorian public servant Mr Moran has also played a key central role in developing plans to guide the State Government's major infrastructure investments. He and his department are the point for the coordination across Government for Victoria's responses to emergencies, natural disasters and terrorist threats.

As Secretary of DPC, Mr Moran has led the State Coordination and Management Council of Secretaries and fostered strategic improvements in service delivery. At the request of the Premier he carried out a major review of public administration. The Public Administration Act, which established a new governance and improvement framework for the public sector, was the most significant result.

Mr Moran has led the development of a range of significant Arts initiatives in Victoria. He is committed to the central importance of a strong, innovative and diverse cultural sector to Australian life.

In the Victorian context he is seen as a champion of a professional public service devoted to constant improvement in services for the Victorian community. The capacity and skill of the Victorian public service is recognised in Australia and abroad. At a national level he was instrumental in establishing the Australian and New Zealand School of Government. It is a joint initiative of six governments and ten universities and in four years has enrolled over 1,000 public servants in programs designed to prepare them for future leadership roles in public policy and public sector management. In June 2006 Mr Moran was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to public sector leadership in key policy areas and program implementation at state and national levels.