Senior Executive team

Dr Paul Grimes was appointed acting secretary when Ms Robyn Kruk took extended leave from 23 August 2010. Dr Grimes was appointed secretary following Ms Kruk’s resignation on 19 June 2011.

Dr Grimes was assisted in the management of the department by an executive team of four deputy secretaries and 18 division heads. The names, responsibilities and tenures of the division heads are shown in the organisation chart (pages 15-18).

Paul Grimes, Secretary

Paul Grimes joined the department from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, where he had been Associate Secretary (Domestic Policy). Before this, Dr Grimes was General Manager of the Budget Group in the Department of Finance and Deregulation. Dr Grimes has also served as the Chief Executive of the ACT Department of Treasury and, earlier, as Deputy Under Treasurer in the South Australian Department of Treasury and Finance.

Mark Tucker

Mark Tucker is the deputy secretary responsible for the Biodiversity and Antarctic Outcomes and Information Management Division. Mr Tucker has had responsibility for a wide range of public policy issues particularly in the environment, natural resource management, arts, heritage and Indigenous conservation fields. Mr Tucker has also overseen a business improvement agenda for the department to improve governance, risk management and program delivery. He has been a member of the department’s audit committee for a number of years. Mr Tucker has previously worked in the departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Primary Industries and Energy, and Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Mr Tucker completed his Bachelor of Science majoring in Zoology and an Honours degree based on a thesis covering Antarctic marine systems.

Malcolm Thompson

Malcolm Thompson is the deputy secretary responsible for the Sustainable Population and Communities Group and for the Corporate Outcome. Mr Thompson has over 20 years experience as a policy adviser to the Australian Government. He studied economics at the University of Queensland before beginning his career in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. He has also worked in the Treasury, the Assistant Treasurer’s office and the Department of Transport and Regional Services. From 2003 to 2007 Mr Thompson concentrated on water policy, helping to develop the National Water Initiative and to establish the National Water Commission. Mr Thompson joined the department in 2007 as head of the Policy Coordination Division. He was appointed deputy secretary in September 2009.

Kimberley Dripps

Kimberley Dripps joined the department as deputy secretary, Environment Protection and Heritage Conservation on 10 January 2011. Ms Dripps is responsible for the Environmental Assessment and Compliance, Heritage and Wildlife, and Supervising Scientist Divisions. Ms Dripps was previously the Executive Director Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Victoria’s Department of Sustainability. During this time she undertook an industry-based secondment with the Regional Rail Link Authority where she was responsible for land acquisition and planning approvals for this $4.3 billion Nation Building Project. Between 1999–07 Ms Dripps had various roles within Victorian Government departments including sustainable agriculture policy and investment, drought response and recovery, the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality and a stint in the Premier’s Department. Ms Dripps has a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons) and an MBA.

David Parker

David Parker joined the department as the deputy secretary of the Water Group on 21 February 2011. Mr Parker has qualifications in economics and law and is the former deputy secretary of the Treasury where he led the Revenue Group and was Chair of the Treasury Audit Committee. With a career spanning over 25 years with the Treasury, Mr Parker has worked on financial sector liberalisation, tax reform, macroeconomic forecasting and policy, competition policy, energy policy and international economic issues. From 1997–2002 Mr Parker worked at the OECD in Paris.

Senior Executive team

The diagram below shows the organisation structure as at July 2010—prior to Machinery of Government changes that resulted in new responsibilities in relation to sustainability, population and communities and the transfer of the Arts and Culture component of the Portfolio to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Organisation structure as at July 2010

Department organisation structure as at July 2010 | text version

Portfolio Agencies organisation structure as at July 2010 | text version

Organisation structure (PDF - 181 KB)

Senior Executive team

The diagram below shows the organisation structure at February 2011 following Machinery of Government changes that resulted in new responsibilities in relation to sustainability, population and communities and the transfer of the Arts and Culture programs of the portfolio to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Organisation structure as at February 2011

Department organisation structure as at February 2011 | text version

Portfolio Agencies organisation structure as at February 2011 | text version

Organisation structure (PDF - 181 KB)

Outcome and program structure

The table below outlines the transition of the department’s Outcome Statements for the 2010–11 Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements (PAES) following the Administrative Arrangement Order announced on 14 September and 14 October 2010.

* The Arts and Culture Program 5.1 in Outcome 5 has been transferred to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as a result of the Machinery of Government changes. Due to the timing of the Machinery of Government changes and the reporting requirements, all funding appropriated in the 2010–11 Portfolio Budget Statements remains in Outcome 5 for this Additional Estimates process and is reported in these Statements. Additions or changes to Program 5.2 appropriations since the 2010–11 Budget, and estimates for the forward years, are reported in these Statements as new Outcome 7, Conservation and Protection of Australia’s Heritage.

Outcome 6 is a new outcome resulting from the Machinery of Government change, with housing programs moving from the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and population programs from the Department of the Treasury.