Bernard V. "Bernie" McKay (born 1939 or 1940) is a former senior Australian public servant. He was

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

of the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

between 1984 and 1987.

Life and career

McKay was born in 1939 or 1940. From 1972 to 1974, McKay was Assistant Director of ACT Health Services. McKay was

of the New South Wales Department of Health between December 1982 and September 1984, before the Prime Minister

Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...

appointed him to head the Australian Government

. His Department of Health appointment lasted until July 1987, when the Department was merged with the Department of Community Services to become the

Department of Community Services and Health The Department of Community Services and Health was an Australian government department that existed between July 1987 and June 1991. History The Department of Community Services and Health was one of 16 'super-ministries' announced ...

. When the merger took place, McKay was offered an Associate Secretary position at the new Department, but McKay refused the offer. His refusal was based on a dispute over the way the new Department was to be structured. In October 1987, McKay was appointed to review Worksafe Australia, an Australian government agency tasked with improving health and safety standards in workplaces. The review was completed in 1988. It was highly critical of the organisation, stating that lack of direction, communications problems and inadequate coordination had led to an overall lack of progress in the organization's first years of operation. In 1994, McKay was involved in an independent review of transport regulation in the ACT, commissioned by the ACT Government Department of Urban Services. In 2005, McKay led a review into the operation of ambulance services in the Northern Territory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Bernard Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Secretaries of the Australian Government Health Department 1940 births