Renée Elmina Leon is a senior

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n public servant. From 18 September 2017 until February 2020, she had been

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 Human Services, which is now known as

Services Australia Services Australia, formerly the Department of Human Services and before that the Department of Social Security, is an executive agency of the Australian Government, responsible for delivering a range of welfare, health, child support payment ...

. In August 2021 she became Vice Chancellor of Charles Sturt University.

Life and career

Leon graduated from the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

with a double degree of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours. In 1995, she was awarded the Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship in Law, leading to a Masters in Law from Cambridge University. From 2006 to 2009, Leon held the position of Chief Executive of the ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety. She served as Deputy Secretary in the Attorney-General's Department and in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet from May 2009 to September 2013. She was awarded a Public Service Medal in June 2013 for outstanding public service to public administration and law in leadership roles in the Australian Capital Territory and the Commonwealth. She has served on the Boards of the Australian Institute of Criminology, the National Australia Day Council, and the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency, and was a member of the Council of the Order of Australia. In September 2013, Leon was appointed Secretary of the newly established

Department of Employment The Secretary of State for Employment was a position in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. In 1995 it was merged with Secretary of State for Education to make the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In 2001 the employment functions ...

. On August 24 2021 her appointment as Vice Chancellor of Charles Sturt University was announced in an email to staff by the University Council. In February 2023, at hearings at the

Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme The Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme is a royal commission established on 18 August 2022 by the Australian Government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902. The Royal Commissioner, Catherine Holmes, released her report on 7 July ...

, it was revealed that Renee Leon was the public servant that ended the illegal Robodebt scheme, after Ministers had refused to shut down the scheme despite numerous reports that the programme was illegal. Renee Leon has garnered widespread public praise for her courage and intergrity in ending the scheme, a decision that resulted in her being sacked as Secretary of the Department of Human Services.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon, Renee Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Australian public servants Australian women public servants Recipients of the Public Service Medal (Australia) Australian National University alumni