Jeffrey Allan 'Jeff' Harmer (born 19 September 1949) is a former senior Australian public servant. He was appointed

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

of the

Department of Education, Science and Training The Department of Education, Science and Training (also called DEST) was an Australian government department that existed between November 2001 and December 2007. Scope Information about the department's functions and government fundi ...

in 2003 and served in a series of Secretary-level roles until his retirement in December 2010.

Life and career

Jeff Harmer was born on 19 September 1949 in country New South Wales. He attended Gundagai High School and then graduated from the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949. The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...

, attaining a Bachelor of Arts (with honours) and a Diploma of Education, and then was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Urban Economic and Urban Geography. Harmer began his Commonwealth Public Service career in 1978 at the Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development, starting on an 18-month contract. Between 1998 and 2003, Harmer was head of the

Health Insurance Commission Medicare is the publicly funded universal health care insurance scheme in Australia. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing manages the program, while Services Australia is responsible for claim and registration processing. The sc ...

(now

Medicare Australia Medicare is the publicly funded universal health care insurance scheme in Australia. The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing manages the program, while Services Australia is responsible for claim and registration processing. The sc ...

), after having served in various senior public sector positions, including as a Deputy Secretary at the

Department of Social Security A ministry of social security or department of social security is a government entity responsible for social security affairs. It may be a ministry office, a department, or, as in the United States, a nominally independent agency. Notable ones ar ...

and at the Department of Housing and Regional Development. Harmer was appointed

of the

in February 2003 and the following year, Harmer became instead Secretary of the Department of Family and Community Services. Harmer retired from the public service in December 2010 after a public sector career that spanned over three decades. In retirement, Harmer has served on the committee for Reform of the Australian Government's Housing Assistance Programs and the advisory group for the

National Disability Insurance Scheme The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a scheme of the Australian Government that funds reasonable and necessary supports associated with significant and permanent disability for people under 65 years old. The scheme was first int ...

. In September 2016, he was recruited to also chair an advisory committee on private health insurance policy, reporting to the health minister

Sussan Ley Sussan Penelope Ley (pron. , "Susan Lee"; ; born 14 December 1961) is an Australian politician who is the current Leader of the Opposition (Australia), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal ...

Awards

Jeff Harmer was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from the

University of Canberra The University of Canberra (UC) is a public university, public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is from Belconnen Town Centre, and from Canberra's Civic, Australian ...

in September 2012. In 2009, Harmer was named the inaugural Federal Government Leader of the Year by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia. Harmer has also been awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001 and in 2010 was made an Officer of the Order of Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harmer, Jeffrey Allan 1949 births Living people University of New South Wales alumni Secretaries of the Australian Government Education Department Officers of the Order of Australia