Blair Comley

Blair Comley
PSM
Secretary of the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
In office
2011 – March 2013
Secretary of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
In office
11 March 2013 – 18 September 2013
Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 2023
Personal details
Born
Blair Robert Comley
NationalityAustralia Australian
Alma materMonash University[1]
Australian National University
OccupationPublic servant

Blair Robert Comley PSM is an economist. He is a former Secretary of the New South Wales Government Department of Premier and Cabinet, replaced by a new Secretary upon the election of the then Premier of NSW, The Hon Gladys Berejiklian.[2]

Life and career

Blair Comley was born in the late 1960s.[1] He holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) and a Master of Economics from Monash University and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies from the Australian National University.[3]

Comley joined the Department of the Treasury in 1994.[4] For three years, he represented Australia on economic policy at the OECD.[5] In 2008, Comley was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Department of Climate Change.[1] He was elevated to become head of the Department—by then known as the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency—in 2010.[1]

Comley was appointed Secretary of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism in February 2013, to commence 11 March that year.[6] In September 2013, after the Abbott government was sworn in, new Prime Minister Tony Abbott sacked Comley and two other departmental secretaries.[7]

Comley was hired by PricewaterhouseCoopers in April 2014 as a Special Adviser in the Canberra Economics and Policy Team.[8][9] By September 2014, he had been appointed head of the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet.[10] In November 2017, the NSW Premier, Hon Gladys Berejiklian MP announced he would be replaced by a new Secretary.[11]

He was appointed Secretary of the Department of Health and Aged Care in July 2023.[12]

Awards

Comley was awarded a Public Service Medal in January 2012 for outstanding public service in the development of public policy, particularly in the areas of carbon pricing and emissions trading, tax policy design and debt management.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Maiden, Samantha (22 December 2010). "Climate head set for long haul". The Australian. News Ltd.
  2. ^ "Appointment of new Secretary to DPC". NSW Government. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  3. ^ Our Secretary, Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism, archived from the original on 6 September 2013
  4. ^ Alexander, Cathy (21 March 2013), The Power Index: Martin Parkinson, Blair Comley, Ross Garnaut, Crikey, archived from the original on 19 July 2014
  5. ^ Peake, Ross (18 February 2013). "Public service role changes". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014.
  6. ^ "Blair Comley to head resource dept". News.com.au. News Corp. 15 February 2013. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014.
  7. ^ "The fine print of payouts". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 1 October 2013. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013.
  8. ^ A challenge to the community and our political process – release of the Commission of Audit report (PDF), PricewaterhouseCoopers, archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2014
  9. ^ Coorey, Phillip (23 April 2014). "Top public servant hired by PWC".
  10. ^ Towell, Noel (9 September 2014). "Former public service head Blair Comley gets new job at NSW Premier and Cabinet". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014.
  11. ^ "NSW has a new public service chief with Transport's Tim Reardon to replace Blair Comley as head of Premier and Cabinet". The Mandarin. 10 November 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Blair Comley (EY) appointed incoming national health secretary". Consultancy.com.au. Consultancy.com.au.
  13. ^ "Search Australian Honours: COMLEY, Blair Robert", itsanhonour.gov.au, Australian Government, archived from the original on 23 August 2014
Government offices
Preceded by Secretary of the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency
2011 – 2013 		Succeeded byas Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education
Preceded by Secretary of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
2013 		Succeeded byas Secretary of the Department of Industry
Succeeded byas Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade