In other news:

• New Queensland Ambulance Commissioner
• Aged Care Commissioner appointed for three more years
• Interim secretary for Vic DFFH

Tim Reardon joins PwC

Former Secretary of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet Tim Reardon will join PwC Australia as national transport and precincts leader.

In his role, he will lead PwC’s transport and precincts offerings, working to deliver major infrastructure projects in Australia.

Prior to becoming Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Mr Reardon was Secretary of Transport for NSW.

“The pandemic has turned on its head many of the societal norms when it comes to the way we live our lives and move around,” Mr Reardon said in a statement.

“While our transition to net zero emissions means we are constantly required to rethink how our cities, precincts and regions work – as leaders in Australia’s infrastructure planning and delivery, it’s incumbent on us to keep pace with this change.”

Mr Reardon joins PwC at a time of major growth for its Integrated Infrastructure business, which delivers the end-to-end expertise for the infrastructure projects building Australia. 

He will begin in his role on February 14.

Aged Care Quality Commissioner reappointed

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson has been reappointed for three more years, with the aged care services minister Richard Colbeck praising her “extraordinary leadership” during Covid-19.

“I congratulate and thank Ms Anderson for her leadership of the Commission over a period of major change that included new quality standards, additional functions and powers, sustained public scrutiny from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and a challenging operating environment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic,” Senator Colbeck said.

Ms Anderson would play a critical role in the government’s sweeping overhaul of the aged care system, the minister said, with a strengthened role in enhancing the safety and quality of aged care.

Ms Anderson has previously come under pressure over the effectiveness of the safety regulator and its role in ensuring quality aged care.

She has been forced to defend ACQSA at the Aged Care Royal Commission and before a parliamentary committees against accusations of it being a “toothless tiger” and has faced criticism in the media from its response during the Covid pandemic.

Last December she admitted before a coronial inquiry that the commission had “missed an opportunity” in relation to an outbreak of covid at an aged care facility in Melbourne.

In a statement earlier this week Ms Anderson said as the Covid-19 pandemic continued, the commission was constantly reassessing its regulatory response to ensure it remained fit for purpose and was closely monitoring providers to hold them to account for the delivery of safe, quality aged care during the Omicron wave.

Ms Anderson has a long background as a senior public servant and was awarded a public service medal in 2009 for outstanding health policy development and reform.

She has previously held the roles of Deputy CEO in the Northern Territory Department of Health, First Assistant Secretary of the Health Services division in the Commonwealth Department of Health and Director of Inter-Government and Funding Strategies in the NSW health department.

She began as inaugural Safety and Quality Commissioner in 2019.

New Queensland Ambulance Commissioner

Acting Commissioner Craig Emery has been announced as the new Queensland Ambulance Service Commissioner.

Mr Emery has been acting in the role of commissioner for the past five months.

He is a paramedic with more than 30 years’ experience and has held the roles of assistant and deputy commissioner.

Mr Emery has also worked as a frontline paramedic, supervised communications centres and managed local, regional and statewide operations.

Health and Ambulance Services Minister Yvette D’Ath made the announcement today.

“Mr Emery has a long and notable career with QAS, since joining it in 1990 as a paramedic when it was known as the Queensland Transport Brigade,” she said in a statement.

Last month, Mr Emery was called out by Australian Paramedics Association Queensland for being “missing in action” when he was on leave while COVID-19 cases surged across the state.

Ms D’Ath denied these claims and said that although Mr Emery was on leave, he was involved in every briefing.

Sandy Pitcher steps down from Vic DFFH

Sandy Pitcher, Secretary of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, will be stepping away from her role for a period of time due to her family experiencing difficult health challenges.

Ms Pitcher was appointed to the role in February 2021 when the department was established, following a decision by the Victorian Government to separate the Department of Health and Human Services into two departments.

While she is away, Brigid Sunderland will be the interim DFFH Secretary and current DFFH Deputy Secretary Brigid Monagle will be appointed as Associate Secretary.

Ms Sunderland is currently overseeing the Youth Justice portfolio in the Department of Justice and Community Safety and will take on the interim role with flexible work arrangements.

New Head of Science at MAGNT

The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory has appointed Dr Kirsti Abbott to be the new Head of Science.

She has an extensive ecology background and her research on Christmas Island into the ecology and invasion dynamics of yellow crazy ants was part of a Banksia Award winning program.

During her career, Dr Abbott has also led several projects, including the development of UNE Discovery, a science education and engagement initiative at the University of New England; the creation of the $20 million Boilerhouse Discovery Space at the Armidale campus of UNE; and the UNE Natural History Museum education program.

“I can’t wait to learn more about MAGNT and the stories of the Northern Territory through the lens of the natural sciences collections, research and Indigenous traditional knowledge,” she said in a statement.

“I look forward to growing mutually beneficial partnerships that advance and showcase science in the NT. I see a continuum of possibilities for all people to engage with, or actively contribute to scientific research and knowledge creation.”

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@governmentnews.com.au.  

Sign up to the Government News newsletter