Jeffrey Allan 'Jeff' Harmer (born 19 September 1949) is a former senior Australian public servant. He was appointed

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, Science and Training in 2003 and served in a series of Secretary-level roles until his retirement in December 2010.

Life and career

Jeff Harmer was born on 19 September 1949 in country New South Wales. He attended Gundagai High School and then graduated from the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...

, attaining a Bachelor of Arts (with honours) and a

Diploma of Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on the g ...

, and then was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in the field of Urban Economic and Urban Geography. Harmer began his

Commonwealth 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 Go ...

career in 1978 at the

Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development The Department of Environment, Housing and Community Development was an Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary consti ...

, starting on an 18-month contract. Between 1998 and 2003, Harmer was head of the

Health Insurance Commission Medicare is the publicly-funded universal health care insurance scheme in Australia, operated by the nation's social security department, Services Australia. Medicare is the principal way Australian citizens and permanent residents access most ...

(now

Medicare Australia Medicare is the publicly-funded universal health care insurance scheme in Australia, operated by the nation's social security department, Services Australia. Medicare is the principal way Australian citizens and permanent residents access mos ...

), after having served in various senior public sector positions, including as a Deputy Secretary at the

Department of Social Security The Department of Social Security (DSS) was a governmental agency in the United Kingdom from 1988 to 2001. The old abbreviation is still often used informally. Advertisements for rented accommodation used to describe prospective tenants who wou ...

and at the

Department of Housing and Regional Development The Department of Housing and Regional Development was an Australian government department that existed between March 1994 and March 1996. History The department was created by the Keating government on 25 March 1994, divi ...

. Harmer was appointed

of the Department of Education, Science and Training in February 2003 and the following year, Harmer became instead Secretary of the Department of Family and Community Services. Harmer retired from the public service in December 2010 after a public sector career that spanned over three decades. In retirement, Harmer has served on the committee for Reform of the Australian Government's Housing Assistance Programs and the advisory group for the

National Disability Insurance Scheme The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a scheme of the Australian Government that funds costs associated with disability. The scheme was legislated in 2013 and went into full operation in 2020. The scheme is administered by the Na ...

. In September 2016, he was recruited to also chair an advisory committee on private health insurance policy, reporting to the health minister

Sussan Ley Sussan Penelope Ley (pron. , "Susan Lee"; ; born 14 December 1961) is an Australian politician who has been deputy leader of the Liberal Party since May 2022. She has been member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales seat of Farrer since 2 ...

Awards

Jeff Harmer was awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from the

University of Canberra The University of Canberra (UC) is a public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is within walking distance of Westfield Belconnen, and from Canberra's Civic Centre. U ...

in September 2012. In 2009, Harmer was named the inaugural Federal Government Leader of the Year by the

Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (the institute) was the professional accounting body representing Chartered Accountants in Australia before it merged with the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants to become Charte ...

. Harmer has also been awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001 and in 2010 was made an Officer of the Order of Australia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harmer, Jeffrey Allan 1949 births Living people University of New South Wales alumni Secretaries of the Australian Government Education Department Officers of the Order of Australia