Ken Harry Matthews is a retired senior Australian public servant.

Early life and background

Ken Matthews grew up on a farm near

Griffith, New South Wales Griffith is a major regional city in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area that is located in the north-western part of the Riverina region of New South Wales, known commonly as the food bowl of Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith ...

. He attended

Griffith High School , motto_translation = We shall grow in the esteem of future generations , established = , status = Closed , closed = December 2018 , type = Government-funded co-educational comprehensive secondary day school , principal = , asst principa ...

. Matthews graduated from

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in 1974 with a Bachelor of Economics, majoring in government.

Career

Ken Matthews 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 1975, in the Department of Defence. In 1998 Matthews 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 w ...

of the

Department of Primary Industries and Energy The Department of Primary Industries and Energy was an Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy ...

(later

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry may refer to: * Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia) ** Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Queensland) The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is a de ...

). In 1999 Matthews shifted to head the

Department of Transport and Regional Services The Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS) was an Australian government department that existed between October 1998 and December 2007. Scope Information about the department's functions and/or government funding allocation could ...

. Matthews headed the Department at the time of the September 11 attacks on the United States and during implementation of early stages of the Howard government counter-terrorism strategies. In 2004, Matthews indicated to Prime Minister

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

his keen interest in water reform and was appointed the first Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the

National Water Commission The National Water Commission (NWC) was an independent statutory authority in Australia established by the ''National Water Commission Act 2004'' to implement the National Water Initiative and reform the broader national water agenda. The agency ...

, to be established in the Prime Minister's portfolio. Matthews retired as Chair and Chief Executive of the

in October 2010. In his valedictory speech, he told his audience he wanted public servants to be bolder. Matthews created controversy in 2007 when a leaked e-mail concerning a federal proposal to tax rainwater revealed Matthews (as chief of the National Water Commission) writing: "if rainwater tanks were to be adopted on a large scale such that their existence impacts significantly on the integrated water cycle, consideration could be given to setting an entitlement regime for this class of water" and "legally, all water in Australia is vested in governments." The Bracks government at the time stated it was opposed to taxes on rainwater.

Awards

In January 2005, Matthews was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to the community through the development of more competitive and sustainable regional industries and services, to the national transport system, and to promoting the highest standards of public administration. Matthews had previously received a Centenary Medal in 2001 for services to public administration. Flinders University presented Matthews with an honorary doctorate in April 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Ken Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Australian public servants Officers of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Centenary Medal University of Sydney alumni