Robin Mack is the new managing director of Tourism Australia and Cath Patterson is Associate Secretary in the Department of Defence. Photos: Tourism Australia and Department of Defence.
A breakdown of the latest appointments and moves in the Australian Public Service, the wider public sector and across the public services of the states and territories.
APS Senior Executive Service
Band 1
David O’Connor has been promoted to Assistant Secretary of the Commercial Policy and Advice Branch in the Department of Finance.
Carol Holmes has been appointed as Assistant Secretary, Policy and Program Management in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Benjamin Siddans has been promoted to an unspecified Band 1 role within the Australian National Audit Office.
Luke O’Connor has been appointed as the Assistant Commissioner, Fraud Prevention and Internal Investigations in the Australian Taxation Office.
Band 2
Christie McClure has been promoted to First Assistant Secretary, Legal and Integrity within the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts.
Other federal appointments
Former High Court Justice Virginia Bell has been appointed as the Commissioner of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, which has been established following December’s terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
Ms Bell has worked in the legal field since serving as a volunteer and solicitor at Sydney’s Redfern Legal Centre in the 1970s. She was admitted to the NSW Bar in 1984 and served as a public defender from 1986 to 1989, and was counsel assisting the Wood Royal Commission in 1995.
She served on the NSW Supreme Court from 1999 and on the Court of Appeal from 2008, and in 2009 she became the fourth woman to serve on the High Court.
In 2012, she was made a Companion of the Order of Australia before retiring in 2021. Most recently, she was appointed by the Albanese Government to lead a probe into former prime minister Scott Morrison’s secret ministries.
Special Minister of State Don Farrell has appointed Robin Mack as the new managing director of Tourism Australia.
Mr Mack has worked for Tourism Australia for more than a decade, including as executive general manager global markets and business events, and has been acting as managing director since the departure of Phillipa Harrison in August 2025.
Cath Patterson has been appointed as the Associate Secretary in the Department of Defence, where she will be responsible for integrating the work of different parts of Defence for effective and efficient outcomes, particularly in enterprise transformation and prioritisation.
Ms Patterson has previously served as Deputy Secretary, Strategy and Law Enforcement at the Department of Home Affairs, and Acting Deputy Secretary, Social Policy and First Assistant Secretary, National Security Division at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
She also worked for the Department of Health, including as Minister Counsellor (Health) with Australia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
States and territories
NSW Premier Chris Minns has announced that Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley has had her term as the state’s Governor extended for an additional two years, until 1 May, 2028.
The extension will see Ms Beazley serve as Governor for nine years, with Mr Minns saying it reflects the government’s confidence in her continued stewardship and the value placed on her experience.
David Clayton has been appointed as CEO of Triple Zero Victoria for a five-year term, after acting in the role since October 2025.
The Victorian Government has announced the appointment of former federal Agriculture Department secretary Adam Fennessy as the interim head of the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA).
Mr Fennessy was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) in September 2023 for a five-year term, but left the role in September 2025.
David Connolly has been appointed as the next Administrator of the Northern Territory. NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said the former president of the NT Cattlemen’s Association brought almost four decades of industry leadership, deep regional knowledge, and a strong commitment to building the territory’s economy.
Janet Anderson has been appointed as Queensland’s Health Ombudsman to succeed Dr Lynne Coulson Barr in the role from 15 January.
Ms Anderson has more than 20 years of experience in senior executive and statutory roles. Most recently, she was the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, and previously worked as the First Assistant Secretary at the Federal Department of Health’s Acute Care and Health Services Division.
