2024 David Hawkes Oration Event

IPAA Northern Territory is delighted to host the highly anticipated 2024 Hawkes Oration, following last year’s sold-out event. This year’s event features Andrew Metcalfe AO FIPAA.

 
  • Tue, 30 April 2024
  • 8:00am to 9:45am
  • Hilton Hotel – 32 Mitchel Street, Darwin NT 0800
  • Member: $20, Non-member: $40 
  • Breakfast included.

2024 Oration Topic
Navigating through tricky times as a public servant – how to survive and thrive in uncertain and complex times

   Andrew Metcalfe AO FIPAA

Andrew Metcalfe AO FIPAA is the National President of IPAA. He recently retired as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and as Australia’s Director of Biosecurity.

In all, Andrew was a Commonwealth departmental secretary for 12 years, heading three departments. He was appointed or reappointed as a secretary by five different prime ministers, and directly worked with 15 portfolio ministers.

Andrew was born and grew up in Toowoomba, Queensland; and studied at the Toowoomba Grammar School and the University of Queensland (BA 1980, LLB 1985).  He has also undertaken business administration studies at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.

Andrew joined the Australian Public Service as an administrative trainee in 1980 and has held numerous senior roles in the Departments of Immigration, and the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and as the chief of staff to a cabinet minister. He was

the Secretary (CEO) of the Department of Immigration from 2005 to 2012, and Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in 2013. Between 2014 and January 2020 Andrew was a senior partner in EY (Ernst and Young), the global professional services firm. He was the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment from February 2020 until June 2022, and of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry from July 2022 until his retirement in August 2023.

Andrew was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2012. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia. In 2010 he was named as the `Federal Government Leader of the Year’ by the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Please note: The Institute of Public Administration Australia WA (IPAA WA) is managing this event on behalf of IPAA NT. As such when you register, your receipt and some communications may come from IPAA WA.

For enquiries please contact:
Phone: (08) 9360 1400 | Email: projects@ipaawa.org.au

About the David Hawkes Oration

Named in honour of David Hawkes, a long-serving President of IPAA NT, the Hawkes Oration pays tribute to his exceptional contributions to the field of public administration. David played a vital role in creating innovative practices that put the Northern Territory at the forefront of the public sector during the 1990s.

With an illustrious career, David served as the Commissioner for Public Employment for thirteen years, becoming the longest-serving Commissioner in Australia upon his retirement. His influence extended beyond his tenure, as he played a significant role in developing redeployment and voluntary redundancy arrangements within the Australian Public Service. These arrangements were later used to good effect in the territory over many years to manage structural change.

As a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration, David continues to contribute his expertise and insight to the work of the Institute, even in his retirement.

Find out more about the David Hawkes Oration and view past Orators here.