The Secretary is responsible for providing overall leadership of the department; he determines the department’s priorities, delivers organisational performance and directs higher priority initiatives. In consultation with the deputy secretaries, the Secretary is responsible for overseeing corporate governance and resource allocations and providing strategic direction to the department. The Secretary is accountable to the Minister for Climate Change and Water.
Dr Martin Parkinson was appointed as Secretary upon the establishment of the department on 3 December 2007. Dr Parkinson’s appointment follows six years as Executive Director (Deputy Secretary) in the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), with responsibility for domestic and international macroeconomic issues, and as Deputy Secretary of the Climate Change Group in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet with responsibility for leading and coordinating implementation of the emissions trading scheme and coordinating climate change policy. He has also worked at the International Monetary Fund on issues relating to the reform of the global financial system.
