South Australia’s new top public servant revealed
Veteran public servant Rick Persse has been tapped to lead the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, after current chief executive Damien Walker was appointed to the equivalent role in Queensland.
Persse, who has been chief executive of the Department of Treasury and Finance since April 2022, will shift over to DPC on December 20 and become South Australia’s most senior public servant.
It comes after Walker was today announced as director-general of the Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet following last month’s election of the Crisafulli Liberal Government.
The Malinauskas Government headhunted Walker in April 2022 when he was working for the Palaszczuk Labor Government as director-general of Queensland’s Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning.
Damien Walker. Photo: DPC
Persse was chief executive of the Education Department at the height of the pandemic before being moved to Under Treasurer when the Malinauskas Government came to office. Before that, he was chief executive of the Attorney-General’s Department.
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His move from Treasury to DPC will see Deputy Under Treasurer Tammie Pribanic promoted to chief executive.
Pribanic, who has held senior roles in Treasury for more than 15 years, is the first woman to be appointed Under Treasurer, according to the state government.
Tammie Pribanic. Photo: LinkedIn
Meanwhile, the state government also announced the departure today of Department for Energy and Mining chief executive Dr Paul Heithersay.
Heithersay has led the Department since 2018. He will be replaced by Paul Martyn, who holds the equivalent position at Queensland’s Department of Energy and Climate.
