15 April 2025

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

| Andrew McLaughlin
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Combined image of three men

(From left) Adrian Lochrin has been named as First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Daniel Blacker is the new Deputy Inspector General of Water Compliance in the Department of Climate Change, Clean Energy, the Environment and Water. Associate Professor Jon Lane has been named as the inaugural Chief Psychiatrist of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). Photos: Murdoch University, LinkedIn, DVA.

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

APS Senior Executive Service

Band 1

Ann Borg-Barthet has been named as the next Assistant Secretary for Digital Projects in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

William Robinson has been promoted to Assistant Secretary for Policy and Program Development in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Charlotte Krass has been promoted to Assistant Secretary for National Resilience in the Department of Home Affairs.

Band 2

Peter Melican has been named as the new Deputy Chief Counsel at the Australian Government Solicitor.

Adrian Lochrin has been named as First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Daniel Blacker is the new Deputy Inspector General of Water Compliance in the Department of Climate Change, Clean Energy, the Environment and Water.

Other Federal Appointments

Associate Professor Jon Lane has been named as the inaugural Chief Psychiatrist of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA).

He will be the department’s chief adviser on mental health policy and programs, reporting directly to the Secretary. With an extensive military, medical and psychiatry background, Associate Professor Lane enlisted in the army in 1989 and completed a psychology degree before being accepted into medicine as an army-sponsored medical student in 2000. He worked as a Regimental Medical Officer for the army before becoming a reservist to undertake psychiatry training. He remains a reservist Lieutenant Colonel.

Since the federal election was called on 28 March, the Australian Government remains in a caretaker period in the lead-up to the election on 3 May. Until a new government is sworn in, government operations are conducted in accordance with the caretaker conventions, and there will likely be few appointments to key federal agencies.

Original Article published by Andrew McLaughlin on PS News.

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