12 August 2025

The Capital Water Cooler: Comings and goings in the public service

| By Andrew McLaughlin
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combined image of a smiling woman and a smiling man

Marikit Santiago has been appointed as a part-time member of the National Portrait Gallery Board. Former South Australian Governor Hieu Van Le is the new chair of the Australian National Maritime Museum Council. Photos: AGNSW Facebook and SAHMRI.

A breakdown of the latest appointments in the Australian Public Service.

APS Senior Executive Service

Band 1

Victoria Haffey has been appointed Deputy Taxation Ombudsman.

Band 2

Mark Wiggins has been appointed general manager of markets in the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

Chloe Bird has been appointed as First Assistant Secretary for Immigration in the Department of Home Affairs.

Other federal appointments

Anne Brown has been appointed chairperson of the Airservices Australia Board for three years. She has been a board member since 2020 and has served as deputy chair since December 2024.

Former South Australian Governor Hieu Van Le has been appointed chair of the Australian National Maritime Museum Council for a three-year term.

Amit Singh has been appointed as a part-time member of the Council of the National Museum of Australia for three years.

Matt Heine is now a part-time member of the Council of the National Gallery of Australia and will serve for three years.

Marikit Santiago has been appointed as a part-time member of the National Portrait Gallery Board for a three-year term.

Josh Pyke and Leah Flanagan have been appointed to the Music Australia Council, with Danielle Caruana and Dr Sophie Payten reappointed. All the postings are for two-year terms.

combined photo of a man and a woman

Amit Singh has been appointed as a part-time member of the Council of the National Museum of Australia. Anne Brown has been named as chairperson of the Airservices Australia Board. Photos: LinkedIn and Airservices Australia.

Original Article published by Andrew McLaughlin on PS News.

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Peter Graves4:38 pm 12 Aug 25

The background to Mr Le’s appointment to the National Maritime Museum is worthy of much more attention. He was one of the original boat people, being a refugee from Vietnam in 1977. First to an unwlcome arrival in Malaysia, then with 42 people via another boat to Melville Island and finally Darwin.

Upon embarking on shore knowing he is an illegal migrant, Le was prepared to be greeted by a gun boat to drive them back to sea but found themselves met by several Australians who were fishing and drinking beer, and shouted at him ‘G’day mate. Welcome to Australia’ as they passed on.

One of the refugee vessels arriving 1977 was the Tu Do – now at the Maritime Museum. Since then, the second verse of our national anthem seems now forgotten:
For those who’ve across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share

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