Senior executive service
Ksharmra Brandon
Team 3
Dara Williams has been promoted to deputy general manager for policy and programs at Austrade.
Team 1
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) promoted Eloise Moore to the Deputy Commissioner for Multiple Risk Assurance.
Rachel Jolly is currently Deputy Secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
The new head of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) branch dealing with early support and children’s practice is: Ksharmra Brandon.
King Charles receives military appointments
King Charles III he was awarded the honorary ranks of Fleet Admiral of the Royal Australian Navy, Field Marshal of the Australian Army and Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force.
Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defense Force (ADF) Sam Mostyn presented His Majesty’s awards, saying the poles were an important symbol of connection, stability and strength.
“Australians share His Majesty’s pride in the ADF, its sailors, soldiers and airmen and the loved ones who support them,” she said.
The King’s relationship with the ADF dates back to 1977, when he was first appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Armored Corps.
King Charles III
Space chief joins international body
Enrico Palmero
Head of the Australian Space Agency Enrico Palermo was appointed vice president of the International Astronautical Federation.
Palermo became head of the Australian Space Agency in 2021 after 14 years at Virgin Galactic.
He oversaw the rapid expansion of the Space Agency, including signing a contract with NASA for an Australian lunar rover, issuing the first launch permits and licenses for launch facilities, and overseeing the first commercial spaceflights.
He holds a double degree in Applied Mathematics (Physics) and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Western Australia
High commissioners and ambassadors
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has appointed five senior diplomats to overseas posts.
Olivia Phongkham is Australia’s next high commissioner to Niue.
Phongkham is a career officer with DFAT. She was recently seconded as an advisor to the PACER Plus implementation unit in Samoa.
She replaces Katy Stuart as one of only two permanent diplomatic missions in Niue.
David Charlton is Australia’s next high commissioner to Tuvalu.
Charlton is currently the Executive Director of the Australia-Pacific Partnership for Aviation (P4A) program.
At DFAT, he served as director of the Pacific Aviation section and in early 2023, he was the head of mission at the Australian High Commission in Kiribati.
Replaces Brenton Garlick.
Kate Logan is Australia’s next high commissioner to Canada.
Logan is a senior DFAT official and most recently served as First Deputy Secretary, Pacific Strategy.
She previously served as Australia’s overseas ambassador to Greece and posted to Australian missions in Paris and Colombo.
Replaces Scott Ryan.
Lynette Wood is Australia’s next ambassador to France.
Wood was most recently DFAT’s first deputy secretary in the strategic planning and coordination group.
She previously served as ambassador to Germany and as high commissioner to the UK. Previously, she was posted to Canada and Germany.
The ambassador in France is also accredited to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the Principality of Monaco.
Wood is replaced by Gillian Bird.
Julianna Cowley is Australia’s next ambassador to Italy.
He is also Australia’s permanent representative to the UN World Food Program (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Cowley is a senior official at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently deputy secretary of the Pacific Development Branch.
Previously, she served as Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City.
The ambassador in Italy is also accredited in Albania, Libya and San Marino.
Replaces Margaret Twomey.
O’Loughlin re-appointed to ACCC
Nerida O’Loughlin
Nerida O’Loughlin will serve as a part-time associate member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) until October 2027.
O’Loughlin has been Chair of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) since 2017, while also taking up Associate Membership. In May, she was reappointed to this position.
She has held numerous leadership positions in government agencies, including interim CEO of the Digital Transformation Agency and Deputy Secretary for Arts Content and Strategy at the Department of Communications and the Arts.
She also held senior positions in the Victorian government.
O’Loughlin was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2019 for his contributions to digital government.
BetStop under review
Richard Eccles will carry out the first statutory review of the BetStop national self-exclusion register.
Eccles spent 30 years in public service, serving as deputy secretary to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of Health and Aged Care and the Department of Communications and the Arts.
He currently chairs the management committee of Canberra Health Services and a number of government bodies including the National Gallery of Australia and the Department of Education.
Eccles is a director of the Copyright Agency, the Public Interest Journalism Initiative and the Epilepsy Act.
Richard Eccles
New South Wales Building Commissioner
James Sherrard
New South Wales Department of Customer Services Secretary Graeme Head has been appointed James Sherrard New South Wales Building Commissioner.
Sherrard has over 30 years of experience in construction and infrastructure, most recently as director of commercial, performance and strategy at Transport NSW.
He has been project manager for civic, residential and sporting infrastructure projects across metropolitan and regional New South Wales and around the world, including the Sydney and London Olympic Games.
He has qualifications in construction, business and law. He has worked at senior levels in professional services consulting, focusing on infrastructure and urban regeneration.
His experience in international construction projects from 2004 to 2015 included work in the UK, Algeria, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
ACFID appoints an interim Director General
Mateusz Maury will be interim CEO of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).
Maury was vice president of ACFID and founding chairman of the Emergency Response Alliance. Most recently, he was CEO of Tearfund.
ACFID president Susan Pascoe said Maury’s campaigning experience would be invaluable to the organization.
“We are delighted that, following a selection process with several very strong candidates, Matthew will become ACFID’s interim CEO,” she said.
“Matthew served on the ACFID Board for ten years and co-chaired our Development Practices Committee during the DFAT review of Australia’s NGO engagement program. “
Mateusz Maury
Katy Haire announces her retirement
Katy Haire
ACT Director-General for Education Katy Haire will leave his post on November 22.
Haire has served as chief executive since December 2019, leading schools in the territory through the Covid-19 pandemic.
She was previously deputy secretary at the Victorian Department of Education, Training and Social Services.
“Canberra Times.” reports that Haire told colleagues she was returning to Victoria.
“Even though I love this job and was tempted to stay longer, I decided it was the right time for me to move on to the next phase of my life,” she said.