Alison is highly regarded across the Australian Public Service for her sophisticated understanding of people and organisations, and of policy design and delivery. Her extensive senior executive experience includes leading large corporate functions and advancing high profile policy agendas. She has worked across both line and central agencies; and her policy credentials include immigration and border protection, health, aboriginal affairs, and social policy more generally.
Influential work
- Led a 1630-staff organisational unit of the Australian Department of Health with an operating budget of $174m and was responsible for corporate and enabling services, the department’s $5.47bn grants program, aged care compliance and the state network
- As acting deputy secretary, social policy in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s (DP&C’s) Domestic Policy Group, led discussions with state and territory officials on hospital funding, culminating in the 2016 signed Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreement
- Oversaw the report of the COAG Advisory Panel on Reducing Violence Against Women and their Children, presented to COAG in 2016
- Led the multi-agency taskforce to deliver the interim and final report of the National Ice Taskforce and the National Ice Action Strategy, agreed by COAG in 2015.
Outside of Nous
Alison’s most recent role was with the Department of Health, where she most recently served as the deputy secretary and chief operating officer. She has also played key roles at deputy secretary and division head level across the social policy areas of DP&C and the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
Alison is a member of an executive learning group led by Jeff Whalen AO and the Council of the Institute of Public Administration, Australian Capital Territory Division.