Ms Kerry Flanagan

Kerry Flanagan is a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Health and Ageing.

Kerry Flanagan is a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Health and Ageing. She joined the Department in 2006.

Kerry is responsible for policy and program aspects of: acute care, including hospitals and hospital related aspects of health reform; health workforce and dental. She is also responsible for co-ordination functions, such as the department’s budget, briefing, correspondence and cabinet matters, and strategic policy and advice.

She has oversight of the Portfolio Strategies Division, Health Workforce Division, Acute Care Division, the Strategic Policy Unit and the Tasmanian State Office.

Kerry chairs the Finance Risk and Security Committee, the Flexible Funds Board and is a member of the Health Workforce Principal Committee (HWPC) and the Hospital Principal Committee that report to the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council. She is a member of the Jurisdictional Advisory Committees of the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority and the National Health Reform Performance Authority, and is on the Board of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

She has worked in senior executive roles in the federal public service for the past 18 years. Between 2003 and 2006 she was head of the Commonwealth Office for Women. From 1992 to 2003 she worked in the Department of Family and Community Services.

Kerry worked for the World Bank in Washington DC between 1998 and 2000 on pension/social assistance systems in developing countries. She has also worked in the federal departments of Finance, Housing, and Treasury.

She has a background in both policy development and program implementation in housing and homelessness, retirement incomes, health, community development, indigenous as well as international experience in social policy.

She has a degree in political science and history from the Australian National University.