Anthony Albanese has appointed a new Defence Secretary, with Meghan Quinn set to take on the role.
The prime minister announced Quinn will become the first woman to hold the position in a permanent capacity, following the departure of Greg Moriarty, who has been appointed Australia’s next ambassador to the United States.
“Ms Quinn … is an outstanding public servant who, after an exhaustive process that we went through, was clearly the stand-out candidate,” Albanese said.
Quinn is currently secretary of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and has previously held senior roles in Treasury and the prime minister’s department.
Unlike several of her predecessors, Quinn does not have a background in defence or intelligence, but Defence Minister Richard Marles said that was not a barrier.
“She comes with such important experience in terms of running a large department, and that’s really what we wanted in terms of running Defence – particularly through this period of time, where we are going through significant reform, experience of public administration of large organisations is going to be invaluable,” Marles said.
Quinn will lead one of the federal government’s largest departments, which employs about 20,000 public servants, as Defence undergoes sweeping changes.
Her appointment comes as the government rolls out a new National Defence Strategy, which includes an additional $53 billion in funding over the next decade, including contributions from private sector investment.
“Ms Quinn will make history as the first woman to substantively lead the Department of Defence, and I know that alongside our recently announced leadership changes within the Australian Defence Force, she will bring a wealth of experience in this role,” Marles said.
The appointment is part of a broader reshaping of Australia’s defence leadership, following recent changes across the military, including new heads of the Defence Force, Army and Navy.
Quinn will begin her five-year term on May 18, taking over from acting secretary Cath Patterson.
Image: Department of Industry, Science and Resources/ Sky News
