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August 28, 2025
James Paterson has hit out at the Albanese government for leaving a critical government role vacant for two months, as the process to replace Jenny Wilkinson continues.
Department of Finance deputy secretary Richard Windeyer has been acting as secretary since Ms Wilkinson was plucked to lead Treasury in June, replacing Steven Kennedy, who now leads the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Senator Paterson, the Coalition's spokesman on finance as well as the public service, has called out the time taken to fill the role as unacceptable.
"The government should have had a clear plan when they appointed Jenny Wilkinson to lead Treasury in June to fill the vacancy her appointment caused in Finance," Senator Paterson said.
"The fact that it remains unfilled months on shows that they did not. A critical central government department like Finance should not go this long without a permanent secretary.
"It's time the Prime Minister got his skates on and made this important appointment."
The Albanese government says it has implemented merit-based appointments for secretaries, but the process to hire the bureaucracy's most powerful remains largely opaque.
The Public Service Act requires that the Prime Minister recommend the appointment of a secretary to the Governor-General, following a report prepared by the Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary and the Public Service Commissioner.
Beyond this, the process is less defined. In some cases, the Albanese government has used a hiring panel comprising the Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary, public service commissioner and another secretary, to find candidates.
In others, the appointment has been made swiftly, as was the case for Home Affairs secretary Stephanie Foster.
While the Prime Minister has the final say, ministers with influence get input into who leads their departments.
Senator Gallagher will likely have a strong say on who leads Finance, but because she has not served as a federal minister before 2022, there are fewer indications of her existing relationships.
Public service insiders have speculated that Simon Duggan, a deputy secretary at the Climate Change Department, could be in the mix, while Defence associate secretary Matt Yannopoulos is also considered a good option.
Former public service commissioner Andrew Podger said the ideal candidate should have a well-rounded perspective of how departments work with the dozens of smaller agencies that comprise the public service.
"Preferably, it's somebody who's got some experience in a line agency as well as a central agency, so they understand the practical issues involved," Professor Podger said.
"I certainly hope the Finance secretary will continue to build the role of the department in evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of government programs."
Another former senior public servant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the job was typically an "insider's" role.
"It's very hard for someone from outside to come and do that job, because it's such a critical job in terms of how government federally works," they said.
"You have to build relationships with all the other secretaries and have a strong relationship with the finance minister and head of Prime Minister and Cabinet."
The role has also become more demanding with the inclusion of Services Australia in the Finance portfolio after the 2025 election.
"It's one of the crucial jobs, particularly at the moment when you've got such pressure on the budget," the former senior public servant said.