21 December 2010

Climate Change boss to take over Treasury

| johnboy
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The Australian is reporting that Treasury’s long serving supremo, Ken Henry is leaving when his contract expires next year.

The Department of Climate Change’s Secretary Martin Parkinson has been tipped to teak over the reins.

Crikey have more analysis by Bernard Keane and these predictions:

Several other changes are afoot. Another Henry Review alumnus, Jeff Harmer, is retiring, as expected, and being replaced as Secretary of FAHCSIA by Finn Pratt, who moves from Human Services (he was associate secretary?—?an increasingly common position under this government?—?at DEEWR before that). Pratt is replaced at Human Services by Kathryn Campbell, who was briefly at DEEWR as well this year but more properly regarded as from Finance, where she led the Budget and Financial Management Group for five years under both governments.

Glenys Beauchamp, who since the government was returned has been acting head of the new Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government Department, has been made permanent in that role. But the other acting appointment from September, that of Paul Grimes at what used to be Environment and which is these days called Sustainability, remains in place. Robyn Kruk remains notionally attached to that role, but is on sick leave.

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The Canberra Times sheds more light on this today:
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/henry-looks-to-natural-treasures/2031981.aspx (for a fragment, after reading which you will be moved to run out and purchase a paper copy no doubt)

He’s flagging that he’ll be involved in environmental and animal welfare areas. Good on him.

I think the secretary of health is well ensconced and has quite a job to do. A troubled department. Moving policy out of the department has damaged it noticeably. In fact quite a lot of health policy has been driven from PM&C, as well as the various private sector players who have been busy writing the policy for the new health system.

PM&C is a secretary incubator. They do a dep sec role there, in preparation for their jump into a secretary’s job, somewhere.

Ken Henry wants to do things, and even being head of Treasury doesn’t enable him to do them, so watching what he does next will be very interesting indeed.

Given the whole shuffle process was rumoured to be nicknamed as “Find Jane a job” (of children overboard fame), interesting that there is no sign of her name in among announcement.

Why would the current government feel in necessary to find her a job? The kids overboard and her appointment to the current job was all under Howard… Does she know where Labor’s bodies are buried too?

And no PM&C change…?

Dept Sec from PM&C is now the Secretary of Regional Australia.

A Noisy Noise Annoys An Oyster5:30 pm 21 Dec 10

So the boss of the Climate Change department is to become head of Treasury. He might have to do some work for a change.

Gungahlin Al3:09 pm 21 Dec 10

Given the whole shuffle process was rumoured to be nicknamed as “Find Jane a job” (of children overboard fame), interesting that there is no sign of her name in among announcement. And no PM&C change…?

Shame to lose Ken Henry. “Frank and fearless” is a phrase written to describe him.

Very sad to see Ken Henry leaving the public service – he’s one of the very best of the lot of them – a formidable intellect, plenty of intestinal fortitude and some real compassion. The great bulk of his review of the tax system was, at minimum, well worth taking very seriously.

Our loss will be someone else’s gain.

Quite a surprise. The report makes it clear that he is mightily p’d off. He spent years reviewing the tax system (a very big job) and to have one or two bits of it cherry-picked out and the rest discarded must be gutting.

Dr Henry is a fairly vigorous chap, a “doer”, and it’s been evident for a while that he doesn’t deal well with obstacles. At 53 he’s hitting his peak, and I won’t be surprised to see him moving in to a private sector position, taking up board member roles also, and getting very noisy about a range of things.

Mr Rudd made him a bit of a pop star, always risky in today’s political environment, and that seems to have damaged him a bit.

He’s a busy man, he and his wife are active in Wildcare Queanbeyan (and Bungendore). A lot of those Xs you see sprayed on dead roos and wombats were put there by him or his wife (after checking the pouch for live young).

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