Andrew Podger

Andrew Stuart Podger, (born 6 November 1948) is a retired Australian senior public servant. He is currently Professor of Public Policy at the Australian National University.

Early life Podger was born 6 November 1948.

Public service career Podger began his Commonwealth Public Service career in 1968 as a cadet at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. After his time as a statistician he moved to the Social Welfare Commission in 1974 and then to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in 1975. He was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in the Department of Social Security in 1978, where he stayed until 1982.

He was appointed Secretary of the Department of the Arts and Administrative Services in 1993, He was appointed Secretary of the Department of Housing and Regional Development in April 1994.

He then was appointed the Public Service Commissioner in 2002, a role he continued until 2004 when he agreed to head a Task Force in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to examine how to improve the delivery of health services.

Awards Podger was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2004.