About the Deputy Australian Public Service Commissioner

Ms Carmel McGregor

Carmel McGregor is the Deputy Public Service Commissioner. She joined the Australian Public Service Commission in November 2008.

Carmel’s previous position was that of Deputy Secretary Client and Corporate Services in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).  Whilst in DIAC she led global client service reform and a major organisational and cultural change program. In this role, she was responsible for client services, including policy review and service delivery operations for DIAC on and off shore.  Carmel also managed a large change agenda in legal services, people services, financial and parliamentary services.to support the client service reforms.

Prior to joining DIAC in November 2005, Carmel was General Manager Employment, Disability and Education at Centrelink where she managed delivery of employment and education programs and led the implementation of the Welfare to Work reforms.

Carmel also held the position of General Manager People and Corporate Performance in Centrelink where she re engineered the human resource, leadership development and organisational design functions to support business delivery for the largest service delivery agency in the APS.

She was one of the lead executives appointed to Centrelink in its establishment in 1997.  She joined Centrelink from the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs where she had worked in many areas of labour market programs, vocational education, service delivery and corporate improvement programs.

From 1999-2001 Carmel lived in Paris where she worked as a consultant for the Public Management Service of the OECD with key involvement in international fora on modernising government.

Carmel is currently Australia’s representative on the OECD’s Public Governance Committee.  She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, a Fellow of the Australian Human Resources Institute, Vice President of Institute of Public Administration Australia in A.C.T and member of Australian Institute of Training and Development.

Carmel’s varied executive career and professional memberships reflect her abiding interests in cultural and organisational transformation, leadership strategy, and human resource development.

Carmel is originally from Queensland and holds an Arts degree with majors in psychology and sociology from the University of Queensland.

Media releases and speeches

Media releases

• State of the Service Report 2009— Meeting the challenges of the 21st century

Speeches/presentations

• Talent management. Talent Management in the Public Sector, 24 and 25 February 2010
• State of the Service report 2008-09
• The climate for change - public sector renewal, 2009 IPAA National Conference - 20 November 2009