Department of Finance Secretary Jenny Wilkinson will replace Steven Kennedy as Treasury Secretary, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced today.
Wilkinson will be the first woman to take on the role of Treasury Secretary.
Wilkinson has had a long career in the public service, having held senior roles across different departments including the Treasury, the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Department of Industry, the Department of Climate Change, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Reserve Bank of Australia. She has provided key advice on economic issues.
Wilkinson has served as secretary of the Department of Finance since August 2022.
In his speech at the National Press Club today, Albanese also announced Steven Kennedy will become Secretary for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, replacing Glyn Davis. Kennedy has served as Treasury Secretary since 2019.
“I’m delighted that Dr Kennedy and Ms Wilkinson have accepted my invitations to serve, and I do want to take this opportunity to publicly thank Glyn Davis, the outgoing secretary, for his service and his ongoing extraordinary contribution to our great nation,” Albanese said on Tuesday.
“These outstanding public servants will continue to excel in their service to our nation.”
In 2021, Wilkinson was awarded a PSM for outstanding public service in fiscal policy, particularly in relation to the federal government’s economic response to COVID-19 and its JobKeeper policy.