Renée Leon

Renée Elmina Leon PSM is a former senior Australian public servant. From 18 September 2017 until February 2020, she had been Secretary of the Department of Human Services, which is now known as Services Australia. In August 2021, she became Vice Chancellor of Charles Sturt University.

Renée Leon
PSM
Secretary of the Department of Employment
In office
18 September 2013 – 17 September 2017
Preceded byLisa Paul
Succeeded byKerri Hartland
Secretary of the Department of Human Services
In office
18 September 2017 – 16 March 2020
Preceded byKathryn Campbell
Personal details
Born
Renée Elmina Leon
NationalityAustralian
Alma materAustralian National University
University of Cambridge
OccupationPublic servant

Life and career

Leon graduated from the Australian National University with a double degree of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours.[1] In 1995, she was awarded the Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship in Law,[1] leading to a Masters in Law from Cambridge University.[2]

From 2006 to 2009, Leon held the position of Chief Executive of the ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety.[2] 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.[3]

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.[2]

In September 2013, Leon was appointed Secretary of the newly established Department of Employment.[4] On August 24 2021 her appointment as Vice Chancellor of Charles Sturt University was announced in an email to staff by the University Council.[5]

In February 2023, at hearings at the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme, 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 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.[6] However, she was the subject of adverse findings in the Royal Commission's final report. The commission found that she had provided "misleading" advice to the Commonwealth Ombudsman which wrongly claimed that there was no doubt that the scheme was lawful. The commission noted though that Leon was “the first to take steps” to end Robodebt.[7]

References
  1. Previous Scholars: Law The Sir Robert Menzies Memorial Scholarship in Law, Menzies Foundation, archived from the original on 1 March 2015
  2. "Chief Executive Officer - Services Australia".
  3. "Search Australian Honours, Name: LEON, Renee Elmina, Award: Public Service Medal", itsanhonour.gov.au, Australian Government, archived from the original on 27 July 2015
  4. Boland-Rudder, Hamish (25 September 2013). "ANU alumni graduate to head departments under Abbott". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013.
  5. Dr Michele Allan, Chancellor, Charles Sturt University, email to all CSU staff 24/08/2021.
  6. Burton, Tom (28 February 2023). "Department secretary who wound up robo-debt scheme was sacked". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  7. Karp, Paul (9 July 2023). "Seven public servants criticised in robodebt report as agencies consider response". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
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