Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia)

The Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is the public service head of Australia's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the most senior public servant in the administration of Government in Australia.

Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Incumbent Phil Gaetjens since 2 September 2019
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
Appointer	Prime Minister
Inaugural holder	Malcolm Shepherd
Formation	1 January 1912

The Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet should not be confused with the Cabinet Secretary, a ministerial position within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet portfolio responsible for assisting the Prime Minister in the procedural and operational matters of the Cabinet of Australia.

The Secretary of the DPMC is Australia’s highest-paid bureaucrat, earning more than $914,000, as of 2019.[1]

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	[2]
2	Percy Deane, CMG		11 February 1921	31 December 1928	7 years, 324 days	Hughes; Bruce	[3]
3	Sir John McLaren, CMG		1 January 1929	2 March 1933	4 years, 60 days	Bruce; Scullin; Lyons	[4]
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	[5]
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	[6][7]
9	John Menadue		1 February 1975	30 September 1976	1 year, 242 days	Whitlam; Fraser	[7][8]
10	Sir Alan Carmody, CBE		1 October 1976	12 April 1978^1	1 year, 193 days	Fraser	[8][9][10][11]
11	Sir Geoffrey Yeend, AC, CBE		18 April 1978	10 February 1986	7 years, 298 days	Fraser; Hawke	[12][13][14]
12	Mike Codd, AC		10 February 1986	1 December 1991	5 years, 294 days	Hawke	[13]
13	Dr Michael Keating, AC		1 December 1991	13 May 1996	4 years, 164 days	Hawke; Keating; Howard	[15]
14	Max Moore-Wilton, AC		13 May 1996	20 December 2002	6 years, 221 days	Howard	[15][16]
15	Dr Peter Shergold, AC		10 February 2003	28 February 2008	5 years, 20 days	Howard; Rudd	[17]
16	Terry Moran, AC		3 March 2008	5 September 2011	3 years, 186 days	Rudd; Gillard	[18]
17	Dr Ian Watt, AO		5 September 2011	30 November 2014	3 years, 86 days	Gillard; Rudd; Abbott	[19]
18	Michael Thawley, AO		1 December 2014	23 January 2016	1 year, 53 days	Abbott, Turnbull	[20]
19	Dr Martin Parkinson, AC, PSM		23 January 2016	2 September 2019	3 years, 222 days	Turnbull, Morrison	[21]
20	Phil Gaetjens		2 September 2019	incumbent	1 year, 146 days	Morrison	[22][23]

Notes

^1 Sir Alan Carmody CBE died suddenly of coronary vascular disease on 12 April 1978; during the term of his appointment.[10][11]

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.[24][25][26][27][28] 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.[29][30][31] 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.[32]

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	[24]
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	[32][33]

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	[29][34]

References

1. https://www.sbs.com.au/news/minimum-wage-up-as-penalty-rates-trimmed
2. CA 12: Prime Minister's Department, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 23 March 2014
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. PM.NO.31/1968
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Fraser, Malcolm (6 September 1976). "Senior government appointments". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
9. Hyslop, Robert (1993). "Carmody, Sir Alan Thomas (1920–1978)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
10. "Sir Alan Carmody: at the top of the bureaucracy". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 April 1978. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
11. "Obituary: Sir Alan Carmody: a controversial initiator of government activity". The Canberra Times. 13 April 1978. p. 2. Retrieved 4 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
12. 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. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
13. Hawke, Bob (10 February 1986). "For media". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
14. "Yeend named to head PM's". The Canberra Times. 19 April 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 4 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
15. 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. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
16. Howard, John (20 December 2002). "Retirement of Max Moore-Wilton AC". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
17. 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. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
18. 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.
19. Gillard, Julia (4 August 2011). "Departmental Secretaries". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
20. 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.
21. Turnbull, Malcolm (3 December 2015). "Departmental Secretaries". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Press release). Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
22. https://www.pmc.gov.au/who-we-are/the-secretary
23. https://www.themandarin.com.au/112450-phil-gaetjens-promoted-to-head-of-pmc-dr-steven-kennedy-to-lead-treasury/
24. 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. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
25. 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
26. "PM plans to split his department". The Canberra Times. 2 March 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
27. Gaul, Jonathan (5 March 1968). "A think-tank and a Secretariat". The Canberra Times. p. 2. Retrieved 5 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
28. Gaul, Jonathan (12 March 1968). "PM forms a Cabinet department". The Canberra Times. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
29. 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. Archived from the original on 1 November 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
30. Solomon, David (13 March 1971). "PM sets up new departments". The Canberra Times. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
31. "System inefficient". The Canberra Times. 13 March 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 5 November 2013 – via National Library of Australia.
32. 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. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
33. 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. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
34. 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.