Appendix 4ꟷSecretaries Board
Section 64 of the Public Service Act 1999 establishes the Secretaries Board.
Its functions are to:
- take responsibility for the stewardship of the APS and for developing and implementing strategies to improve the APS
- identify strategic priorities for the APS and consider issues that affect the APS
- set an annual work program
- direct subcommittees to develop strategies to address APS-wide issues and make recommendations to the Secretaries Board
- draw together advice from senior leaders in government, business and the community
- work collaboratively and model leadership behaviours.
Members of the Secretaries Board keep their autonomy and statutory responsibilities as the heads of their respective departments or agencies.
The Secretaries Board Terms of Reference were updated and officially endorsed at the 7 May 2024 meeting.
To be transparent in its priorities and decisions, the Secretaries Board publishes communiques following meetings. These communiques are available on the PM&C website.
At 30 June 2024, the Secretaries Board has the following subcommittees:
- Secretaries Digital and Data Committee
- Partnerships Priorities Committee
- Future of Work Committee
- Chief Operating Officers Committee.
On 10 July 2024, the Board agreed the following 4 sub-committees would support the Board in its functions:
- Secretaries Digital and Data Committee
- Partnership Priorities Committee
- Capability and Workforce Committee (formerly Future of Work Committee)
- Secretaries Talent Council.
The Board agreed that the Chief Operating Officers Committee would continue to operate under its current arrangements.
Table A 40 lists the members of the Secretaries Board for the period 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.
Table A 40: Members of Secretaries Board 2023–24
| Board Position | APS Title | Member |
|---|---|---|
| Chair | Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | Professor Glyn Davis AC |
| Deputy Chair | Australian Public Service Commissioner | Dr Gordon de Brouwer PSM |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry | Mr Andrew Metcalfe AO (to 17 September 2023) Mr Adam Fennessy PSM (from 18 September 2023) |
| Member | Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department | Ms Katherine Jones PSM |
| Member | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | Mr David Fredericks PSM |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Defence | Mr Greg Moriarty AO |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Education | Mr Tony Cook PSM |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations | Ms Natalie James |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Finance | Ms Jenny Wilkinson PSM |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | Ms Jan Adams AO PSM |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care | Professor Brendan Murphy AC (to 16 July 2023) Mr Blair Comley PSM (from 17 July 2023) |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs | Mr Michael Pezzullo AO (to 27 November 2023) Ms Stephanie Foster PSM (from 28 November 2023) |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources | Ms Meghan Quinn PSM |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts | Mr Jim Betts |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Social Services | Mr Ray Griggs AO CSC |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of the Treasury | Dr Steven Kennedy PSM |
| Member | Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs | Ms Alison Frame |
| Other | Chief Executive Officer of the National Indigenous Australians Agency | Ms Jody Broun |
Find out more
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (n.d.) Secretaries Board, PM&C website, accessed 26 July 2024.
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (n.d.) Secretary appointments to departments of state, PM&C website, accessed 26 July 2024.