Derek Volker AO | |
---|---|
Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs | |
In office 1981 –14 November 1986 | |
Secretary of the Department of Social Security | |
In office 14 November 1986 –24 March 1993 | |
Secretary of the Department of Employment,Education and Training | |
In office 24 March 1993 –11 March 1996 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1939 (age 82–83) |
Nationality | Australian |
Occupation | Public servant |
Derek Volker, AO (born 1939) is a retired senior Australian public servant.
Born in 1939, [1] Volker was educated at Toowoomba State High School and the University of Queensland. [2]
Volker's early Australian Public Service career was in the Department of Labour and the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. [3]
Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser appointed Volker as Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs in 1981,with the mandate to clean up the administration of the department. [4]
In 1986,Prime Minister Bob Hawke transferred Volker to a position as Secretary the Department of Social Security (DSS). [3] In his time at DSS,Volker had to deal with the pressures of the recession and its impact on Social Security offices,including long queues and increasing tension. [5]
Prime Minister Paul Keating announced Volker's transfer from the Department of Social Security to the Department of Employment,Education and Training in March 1993. [6]
In 1996,Volker was one of six Secretaries removed from their roles by the newly elected Howard Government. [7] Political scientist Richard Mulgan speculates that Volker's removal was a result of Prime Minister John Howard's "determination to impose a new sense of direction" on the public service". [8]
After leaving the Australian Public Service,Volker stayed in the workforce and took on various senior roles in both government and non-government organisations,including as Chairman at the Government Relations Group in the national law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth, [9] Chair of the ACT Government's Skills Commission, [10] and Chairman of the Defence Housing Australia Board of Directors. [9]
In January 1991,Volker was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for public service. [11]
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations,international aid,consular services and trade and investment.
The Attorney-General's Department is a department of the federal government of Australia responsible for law and justice,and since 29 May 2019,industrial relations.
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) is an Australian Government public service central department of state with broad ranging responsibilities,primary of which is for intergovernmental and whole of government policy coordination and assisting the prime minister of Australia in managing the Cabinet of Australia. The PM&C was established in 1971 and traces its origins back to the Prime Minister's Department established in 1911.
The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration,public policy,and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the Government of Australia. The Australian Public Service was established at the Federation of Australia in 1901 as the Commonwealth Public Service and modelled on the Westminster system and United Kingdom's Civil Service. The establishment and operation of the Australian Public Service is governed by the Public Service Act 1999 of the Parliament of Australia as an "apolitical public service that is efficient and effective in serving the Government,the Parliament and the Australian public". The conduct of Australian public servants is also governed by a Code of Conduct and guided by the APS Values set by the Australian Public Service Commission.
The Hawke government was the federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1983 to 1991. The government followed the Liberal-National Coalition Fraser government and was succeeded by another Labor administration,the Keating government,led by Paul Keating after an internal party leadership challenge in 1991. Keating served as Treasurer through much of Hawke's term as Prime Minister and the period is sometimes termed the Hawke-Keating government.
Allan Douglas Hawke,is a former Australian senior public servant and diplomat.
The Department of Social Services (DSS) is a department of the Government of Australia charged with the responsibility for national policies and programs that help deliver a strong and fair society for all Australians. The department develops and implements social policy.
Helen Rodda Williams is a retired Australian senior public servant. She was the first woman in the Australian Public Service to be appointed as a Secretary of an Australian government department.
Graham Charles Evans is a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker.
Peter Stephen Wilenski,was a senior Australian public servant and ambassador. He was a champion of women's rights and equal opportunity.
Noel John Tanzer,is a retired senior Australian public servant and policymaker.
David Marcus Rosalky is an Academic and a retired senior Australian public servant. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Anthony Joseph "Tony" Ayers was an Australian public servant.
Michael Henry Codd is a retired Australian senior public servant.
Michael Stockton "Mike" Keating is a retired Australian senior public servant.
Stuart Anthony Hamilton is a retired Australian senior public servant and CEO.
Ron Brown is a retired senior Australian public servant. He was Secretary of the Department of Immigration,Local Government and Ethnic Affairs between 1987 and 1990 under the Hawke Government.
Stephen Thomas Sedgwick,is a retired senior Australian public servant. He is best known for his time as Australian Public Service Commissioner between 2009 and 2014,and for his prior appointments as secretary of various departments in the Australian Public Service.
William Allan McKinnon was a senior Australian public servant. He was Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs between 1983 and 1987.
Doctor David Charles is a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker. He is best known for his time as Secretary of the Department of Industry,Technology and Commerce. He is currently a consultant at Insight Economics Pty Ltd.