Ian James Watt (born 18 June 1950) is a retired Australian public servant, best known for his time as

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 the Prime Minister and Cabinet from September 2011 to November 2014.

Background and career

Watt was born in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and raised in

Reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

's northern suburbs. He was educated at

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria a ...

and joined the

Australian Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the G ...

in 1971 in the Victorian Division of the Post Master General's Department. He completed his honours degree at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

before commencing a cadetship with the Department of the Treasury in 1973. Watt completed his master's degree and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

at La Trobe University before returning to The Treasury in 1985. He served as Minister (Economic) at the Embassy of Australia in Washington from 1991 to 1994. On his return to Australia, Watt was appointed First Assistant Secretary of the Economic Division, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, from March 1994 to November 1996; and was Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPM&C) and Executive Coordinator of the Economic, Industry and Resources Policy Group until March 2001. During his time at DPM&C, Watt completed the Advanced Management Program at the

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

. In March 2001, Watt accepted appointment as the

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 wa ...

, until his appointment as Secretary of the

Department of Finance and Administration The Department of Finance and Administration (also called DOFA) was an Australian government department tasked to contribute to sustainable Government finances; improved and more efficient Government operations; and efficiently functioning Parlia ...

in January 2002. Watt became the longest serving Finance Secretary in April 2009. In August 2009 he accepted appointment as the Secretary of the Department of Defence, until his appointment to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in September 2011. Watt resigned from the role in November 2014. His departure had been speculated since the Abbott Government took office in September 2013. Watt is the former chair of the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...

's (OECD's) Working Party of Senior Budget Officials. His appointments since resigning from the public service include directorships with the

Grattan Institute Grattan Institute is an Australian public policy think tank, established in 2008. The Melbourne-based institute is non-aligned, defining itself as contributing "to public policy in Australia as a liberal democracy in a globalised economy." It is ...

and Citigroup Pty Limited. During April 2016, Watt was appointed Chair of

SMART Infrastructure Facility SMART Infrastructure Facility (SMART) is a research institution in Wollongong, Australia. SMART is an acronym for "simulation, modelling, analysis, research and teaching". It opened in 2011 as Australia's first multi-disciplinary applied infrast ...

's Advisory Council.

Honours

Watt was appointed an

Officer 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 ...

in 2008. In 2016 Watt was appointed a Companion of the Order.

References

References and further reading

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watt, Ian 1950 births Secretaries of the Australian Department of Defence Secretaries of the Australian Department of Finance Secretaries of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Australian public servants Living people La Trobe University alumni University of Melbourne alumni Officers of the Order of Australia Companions of the Order of Australia Public servants from Melbourne People from Reservoir, Victoria