By Duncan Lewis

This is my last column as Secretary of Defence. Several weeks ago I was approached by the Prime Minister and asked to consider taking up the appointment of Australia’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union and NATO. After much deliberation, I have accepted her offer.

My resignation from Defence took effect on October 10 and I am due to assume my new responsibilities in Brussels later this year.

This was a difficult decision for me as I have spent most of my working life in our Department – it is an organisation of which I am particularly proud. I genuinely believe in Defence and the important work we do across a range of disciplines. We are a large organisation, but the Defence family is a close one.

I am very grateful for the wonderful support I have received during my time as Defence Secretary. I want to thank the Defence senior leadership, in particular the members of the Defence Committee who have consistently risen to the challenge. I have been fortunate to work alongside my friend and colleague General David Hurley, the Chief of the Defence Force – our roots go back a long way to our military training at the Royal Military College, Duntroon.

Although I have spent a relatively short time as Defence Secretary, I believe we have made important progress in that time. When I commenced in the role in September last year, I set five priorities for the Department. Now, as I leave Defence to embark on new challenges, I think it’s fitting to reflect on the progress we have made:

Support our operationally deployed people: I am convinced that support to operationally deployed personnel is at the forefront of our minds.

In terms of supporting our people more broadly, the Chief of the Defence Force and I have been absolutely committed to evolving Defence’s culture. This is reflected in Pathway to Change: Evolving Defence Culture and the in-principle acceptance of each of the recommendations stemming from the reviews into aspects of Defence and ADF culture. While there is a clear need to adjust and evolve aspects of the culture, it is important to recognise the many very positive qualities in the Defence workforce. There are certainly challenges ahead for Defence in implementing this program of cultural change, however, I can assure you that the senior leadership is absolutely committed to ensuring Defence provides
a workplace that is safe, fair and inclusive of all.

Provide the Government with the best and most effective Defence capability we can field within our resources: Our ability to support our Ministers, and the Government as a whole, is a vital part of our business. We need to be a trusted adviser, responsive to the Government’s needs and consistently delivering high-quality and well-considered advice. I am very pleased that Defence has now put in place a five-year Corporate Plan to ensure better alignment of our core priorities. The Corporate Plan is supported by the Defence Annual Plan, a system of quarterly business enterprise reporting, and is underpinned by an Enterprise Risk Management Framework. The Chief of the Defence Force and I have also rationalised the number of committees across Defence to support more effective decision making.

Establish the Department as a can-do, no-nonsense organisation focused on getting the job done: Defence is most certainly a can-do organisation. We only need to look at our agility in responding, often at short notice, to crises at home and abroad which, while solemn in nature, consistently showcases Defence at its very best.

Pursue value for money for the Australian taxpayer: The Australian taxpayer quite rightly has a very low tolerance for cost blowouts and project overruns. Defence projects often carry significant risk. To help mitigate these risks, we have embedded a process to independently review the cost, schedule, risk and contestability of proposals from the very start. This process is very important because it provides the opportunity to challenge assumptions and make enhancements to achieve the best value for money for the Government and the Australian taxpayer. This is working well and I have seen very encouraging progress during the past year.

Improve the professional skills of our APS workforce: On my last priority, I am very happy with the work we have started to improve the professional skills of the Defence APS workforce. We have made important steps forward in establishing a more structured, coherent and consistent approach to developing leadership skills within Defence’s APS workforce. This good work needs to continue and I am confident that, under the leadership of Carmel McGregor and Simon Lewis, it will.

Defence certainly faces significant challenges ahead. We are operating during a period of global uncertainty and, consequently, this has a considerable impact on Defence. Defence has been reforming its business for several years now and this is unlikely to change in the short term. We need to become leaner and more efficient, and our culture needs to change to better align with community and Government expectations. However, I am confident that Defence not only has the resilience to adapt to these necessary changes, it has the right people to lead, implement and sustain that change.

In closing, I would like to introduce Dennis Richardson who will take up the position of Defence Secretary. Dennis has been the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge. Dennis has held various senior public service roles, including in the intelligence sector, and spent more than three years as Australian Ambassador to the United States. I wish Dennis the very best and I know that you will give him the same outstanding level of support afforded to me.

Time and again I have seen the high levels of commitment and loyalty of Defence employees and the important contribution each of you make to enabling our first-class ADF. I wish you all the very best as you continue to build on Defence’s many great qualities, and I will continue to support Defence and its people in my new role.