27 January 2026

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

| By Andrew McLaughlin
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combined portraits of a smiling woman and a man in a suit

Lucinda Atkinson has been promoted to First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Finance. Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty has been named as Australia’s next Ambassador to the US. Photos: LinkedIn & ADF.

A breakdown of the latest appointments and moves in the Australian Public Service, the wider public sector and across the public services of the states and territories.

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Lucinda Atkinson has been promoted to First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Finance.

Cassandra Ireland has been appointed as Chief Counsel in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Susan Charles has been appointed as Chief People Officer/First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts.

Other federal appointments

The Albanese Government has announced it has selected Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty to be Australia’s next Ambassador to the United States of America, to replace Kevin Rudd from 1 April.

Mr Moriarty, 61, took over as Defence Secretary in September 2017. Before that, he was briefly chief of staff to PM Malcom Turnbull, and was Commonwealth Counter-Terrorism Coordinator from May 2015 to April 2017.

He was also Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia from August 2010 to December 2014, and Ambassador to Iran from 2005 to 2008. In 1990-91, he served in the Headquarters of the United States Central Command in the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Dr Gordon de Brouwer has announced he is stepping down as Australian Public Service Commissioner and Australian Parliamentary Service Commissioner, effective 13 February.

Professor Tom Calma and Fiona Nash have been appointed as commissioners of the interim Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC).

Professor Calma is the new Acting First Nations Commissioner, and brings more than four decades of leadership in human rights, social justice and higher education to the role, including as Chancellor of the University of Canberra (2014–2023) and Professor of Practice (Indigenous Engagement) at the University of Sydney.

Ms Nash was a member of the Australian Universities Accord Panel and is the Regional Education Commissioner. She is a former Minister for Regional Development, Regional Communications and Local Government and Territories, and previously held senior roles in regional engagement and government relations at Charles Sturt University.

combined portraits of a man in a suit and a smiling woman

Professor Tom Calma and Fiona Nash have been appointed as commissioners of the interim Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC). Photos: LinkedIn & National Party.

Original Article published by Andrew McLaughlin on PS News.

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