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[1] |
| Nationality |
 Australian |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Derek Volker AO (born 1939) is a retired senior Australian public servant.
Career
Volker's early Australian Public Service career was in the Department of Labour and the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs.[2]
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.[3]
In 1986, Prime Minister Bob Hawke transferred Volker to a position as Secretary the Department of Social Security (DSS).[2] 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.[4]
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.[5]
In 1996, Volker was one of six Secretaries removed from their roles by the newly elected Howard Government.[6] 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".[7]
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,[8] Chair of the ACT Government's Skills Commission,[9] and Chairman of the Defence Housing Australia Board of Directors.[8]
Awards
In January 1991, Volker was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for public service.[10]
References
- ↑ "Search results: subject:"Volker, Derek, 1939-"", Trove, National Library of Australia, retrieved 13 February 2014
- 1 2 Hawke, Robert (14 November 1986). "Unknown" (Press release). Archived from the original on 5 February 2014.
- ↑ Frail, Rod (1 October 1985). "Senior public servant could head Bicentennial Authority". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 2.
- ↑ Blewett, Neal (1999), "Chapter 1: January–February 1992—Towards One Nation", A Cabinet Diary: A personal record of the first Keating Government, Wakefield Press, p. 29, ISBN 1 86254 464 6
- ↑ Keating, Paul (24 March 1993). "Statement by the Prime Minister, the Hon P J Keating MP" (Press release). Archived from the original on 5 February 2014.
- ↑ Nethercote, J.R. (7 December 2010). "Memoirs suggest servants are ever overlooked". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media.
- ↑ Mulgan, Richard (10 November 1998), Politicising the Australian Public Service?, Australian Parliament House, archived from the original on 5 February 2014
- 1 2 Board of Directors, Defence Housing Australia, archived from the original on 26 January 2014
- ↑ Griffiths, John (6 June 2010), Sound jobs for sound chaps, archived from the original on 11 May 2013
- ↑ Search Australian Honours: VOLKER, Derek, Australian Government
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard Kingsland |
Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs 1981 – 1986 |
Succeeded by Noel Tanzer |
| Preceded by Tony Ayers |
Secretary of the Department of Social Security 1986 – 1993 |
Succeeded by Tony Blunn |
| Preceded by Greg Taylor |
Secretary of the Department of Employment, Education and Training 1993 – 1996 |
Succeeded by Sandy Hollway as Secretary of the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs |