Darren Kavanagh has been appointed as the Seacare Authority chair. Joanne Hutchinson has been appointed as Assistant Secretary in the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts. Photos: LinkedIn.
A breakdown of the latest appointments and moves in the Australian Public Service and the wider public sector.
APS Senior Executive Service
Band 1
Joanne Hutchinson has been appointed as Assistant Secretary in the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts.
Frances McNamara has been promoted to general manager, Property & Place in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).
Band 2
Genevieve Davin has been appointed as General Counsel in the Department of Education.
Ying Yang has been appointed as general manager, Data (Chief Data and Analytics Officer) for the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) in the Department of Home Affairs.
Other federal appointments
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Amanda Rishworth has announced the appointment of Darren Kavanagh as the permanent chair of the Seacare Authority for a five-year term that began on 22 January.
He has been acting in the role since 22 October, 2025, following the end of Barry Sherriff’s term of appointment.
Mr Kavanagh has experience in workers’ compensation and work health and safety, previously serving as Commissioner of WorkSafe Western Australia, as a member of Safe Work Australia, and as a board member of WorkCover WA and the Commission for Occupational Safety and Health WA.
The Seacare Authority is a non-corporate Commonwealth entity established under the Seafarers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1992. It oversees the operation of the Seacare scheme, a workers’ compensation and work health and safety framework covering a specified section of the Australian maritime industry.
Original Article published by Andrew McLaughlin on PS News.
