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Helen Rodda Williams (born 21 March 1945) is a retired Australian senior public servant. She was the first woman in the Australian Public Service to be appointed as a Secretary of an
Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...
department.


Early life

Helen Williams was born in Adelaide, South Australia on 21 March 1945, the daughter of academics Sir Bruce Williams and Roma Williams.


Career

Early in her public service career, Williams joined the second division in the Department of Finance in 1979, her employment was controversial at the time due to her being a woman. When she was promoted to Deputy Secretary in the
Department of Education and Youth Affairs The Department of Education and Youth Affairs was an Australian government department that existed between March 1983 and December 1984. History The Department was established by the Hawke Government in March 1983, a renaming of ...
in 1983, she became the first woman to hold a deputy secretary position in the Australian Government sphere. She was Acting
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 ...
of the Department of Education and Youth Affairs for a short time in 1984, and was later promoted to Secretary of the
Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
in 1985, serving in the role until 1987 Her appointment as Secretary of the education department was the first time a woman had been appointed to head an Australian Government department of state. Williams told ''The Canberra Times'' in 2006 that in 1987 she was criticised by some women's groups and the senior public service bureaucracy when she took six months maternity leave after having her baby. Her daughter, Anna von Reibnitz, had been born in December 1986. Williams returned to work from maternity leave in 1987 on the day that a reorganisation of the public service was complete, with 28 departments cut down to just 18. Williams was not one of the previous secretaries who was given a department and was instead appointed Associate Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. While Associate Secretary, she headed the arm of the department responsible for Commonwealth-state relations during Prime Minister Bob Hawke's push for "New Federalism", which saw the break-ups of functions between different layers of government under review. In 1993, Williams was returned to a Secretary role, this time as head of the Department of Tourism.


1996 to 2009

*Secretary of the
Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) was a department of the Government of Australia that was responsible for immigration, citizenship and border control (including visa issuance). It has now been subsumed into the Depart ...
1996–1998 *Public Service Commissioner 1998–2002 *Secretary of the
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts The Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) was an Australian government department that existed between October 1998 and December 2007. The Department was closed on 3 December 2007 and its authority w ...
2001–2007 *Secretary of the Department of Human Services 2007–2009 Williams retired from the Australian Public Service in 2009. The APS celebrated the 30th anniversary of her appointment in November 2015.


Awards

Williams was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in June 1993 for service to public administration, particularly in the areas of education and social welfare. In 2001, Williams was awarded the Centenary Medal "for service as Secretary, Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts". On Australia Day 2019, Williams was appointed a
Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
"for eminent service to public administration through senior advisory roles, and to policy reform and innovative program delivery.".


Private life

In 1979, Williams married Frederick, Baron von Reibnitz, a senior officer with the Australian Bureau of Statistics. He is the son of Baron Günther von Reibnitz and brother of
Princess Michael of Kent Princess Michael of Kent (born Baroness Marie-Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz, 15 January 1945) is a member of the British royal family of German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian descent. She is married to Prince Michael of Kent, ...
.


Notes


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Helen 1945 births Living people Australian public servants Companions of the Order of Australia National Library of Australia Council members Officers of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Centenary Medal Secretaries of the Australian Government Education Department Secretaries of the Australian Government Immigration Department