Announcement on NSW Treasury Secretary
After almost five years as NSW Treasury Secretary and close to 10 years in the NSW public service, Michael Pratt AM has signalled his intention to return to the private sector.
Mr Pratt has made an enormous contribution to NSW during his near-decade of service. In July 2012 he was appointed as the State’s inaugural Customer Service Commissioner, leading the reform of service delivery to citizens and business.
He also led the design, build and implementation of Service NSW, including the delivery of the Service NSW App and the digital driver’s licence, now replicated across other NSW licences.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said as Treasury Secretary since August 2017, he played a vital and leading role in guiding the economy through the greatest economic challenge that NSW has faced since the Great Depression – the COVID-19 pandemic – saving tens of thousands of jobs and businesses.
“Mr Pratt’s sound fiscal management and expert advice allowed the NSW Government to help people when they needed it most during drought, bushfires, floods and the pandemic as well ensuring the State will continue to deliver for future generations,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Mr Pratt has helped revolutionise the way government interacts with the public and through his incredible commitment, dedication and professionalism helped deliver better services and outcomes for people right across the State for years to come.”
Mr Pratt led the development of the State’s first Economic Blueprint, the Productivity White Paper and the five-yearly Intergenerational Report. The framing and approach to the NSW Budget also fundamentally changed, with the implementation of Outcomes-Based Budgeting, which measures value for taxpayer spend through outcomes delivered rather than measure inputs.
Dr Paul Grimes PSM is to take over as the 28th Secretary of the NSW Treasury from 29 January, 2022.
“I congratulate and welcome Dr Grimes’ appointment and have every confidence he will serve the people of NSW with distinction,” Mr Perrottet said.
Treasurer Matt Kean paid tribute to Mr Pratt’s many years of service and thanked him for his insights, advice and assistance in the delivery of the 2021 NSW Half Year Economic Review.
“Mr Pratt has been an outstanding public servant and I extend the State’s appreciation for his exceptional service to the people of NSW. I wish him well in his future endeavours,” Mr Kean said.
“As one of the nation’s leading public servants, combined with his extensive treasury knowledge and experience, Dr Grimes is ideally placed to help guide the NSW economy through the next phase of the pandemic and set us up for the future.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Dr Grimes over the past 22 months as my Co-Ordinator General while I was the Minister for Energy and Environment, and I congratulate him on his appointment.”
Dr Grimes is a former Secretary for the Commonwealth Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, and the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture.
He has served as head of the Commonwealth Treasury's Budget Policy Division, Deputy Secretary in the South Australian Department of Treasury and Finance, Chief Executive of the ACT Treasury, and Deputy Secretary leading the Budget Group in the Commonwealth Department of Finance.
He was awarded a Public Service Medal (PSM) for his role in the development of the Commonwealth’s response to the global financial crisis.