Derek Volker
Derek Volker AO | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs | |
| In office 1981 – 14 November 1986 | |
| Secretary of the Department of Social Security | |
| In office 14 November 1986 – 24 March 1993 | |
| Secretary of the Department of Employment, Education and Training | |
| In office 24 March 1993 – 11 March 1996 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1939 (age 86–87) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Derek Volker, AO (born 1939) is a retired senior Australian public servant.
Life and career
[edit | edit source]Born in 1939,[1] Volker was educated at Toowoomba State High School and the University of Queensland.[2]
Volker's early Australian Public Service career was in the Department of Labour and the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs.[3]
Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser appointed Volker as Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs in 1981, with the mandate to clean up the administration of the department.[4]
In 1986, Prime Minister Bob Hawke transferred Volker to a position as Secretary the Department of Social Security (DSS).[3] In his time at DSS, Volker had to deal with the pressures of the recession and its impact on Social Security offices, including long queues and increasing tension.[5]
Prime Minister Paul Keating announced Volker's transfer from the Department of Social Security to the Department of Employment, Education and Training in March 1993.[6]
In 1996, Volker was one of six Secretaries removed from their roles by the newly elected Howard government.[7] Political scientist Richard Mulgan speculates that Volker's removal was a result of Prime Minister John Howard's "determination to impose a new sense of direction" on the public service".[8]
After leaving the Australian Public Service, Volker stayed in the workforce and took on various senior roles in both government and non-government organisations, including as Chairman at the Government Relations Group in the national law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth,[9] Chair of the ACT Government's Skills Commission,[10] and Chairman of the Defence Housing Australia Board of Directors.[9]
Awards
[edit | edit source]In January 1991, Volker was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for public service.[11]
References
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