Navigating the future: VPS Secretaries on the trends and opportunities that will shape 2025

Jenny Atta has been Secretary of the Victorian Department of Education since March 2019 and a senior executive in the Victorian Public Service for many years. She has held leadership roles in treasury and finance as well as social policy portfolios and in 2021 was awarded a Public Service Medal for outstanding public service to strategic social policy reform and delivery in Victoria. 

Jenny is a strong advocate for the important role of the public service and the critical impact that high quality public administration and public policy can have for communities and citizens.  

In her current role Jenny has responsibility for steering the Department of Education in Victoria with responsibility for management, oversight, and delivery of the government school system, as well as landmark reforms in early childhood education that are seeking to deliver transformative social and economic benefits for the state.  

Shane became the 23rd Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police in June 2020.  He leads an organisation of over 22,000 employees providing policing services to over seven million Victorians. He has responsibility for 331 police stations across the State, delivering functions required to keep Victoria safe, secure and orderly. His vision of back-to-basics policing through his Keeping You Safe Strategy is centred on exceptional policing services, a professional workforce and strong partnerships.     

A career police officer, Shane led the policing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and significant bushfires; influenced reforms in sector-wide emergency management response and oversaw the lowest ever number of lives lost on Victorian roads.  He drove major reform including creation of a Counter Terrorism Command, a unit to monitor radicalised persons of interest, a drone unit, a Gang Crime Squad and Illicit Firearms Teams.  Shane has also driven significant legislative reform in terrorism, firearms and DNA suspect sampling. 

He was the State Police Commander for significant counter terrorism operations in Victoria including Operations Rising (Anzac Day police kill plot), Middleham, Kastelholm (Federation Square multi-mode suicide attack plot) and Operation San Jose in 2017 (a planned active-shooter attack in Melbourne), as well as other critical incidents including the attempted hi-jacking of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH128 in June 2017.  

Strong on community engagement and connection, his leadership as Chief Commissioner has seen the introduction of Neighbourhood Policing and Schools Engagement models, increasing police focus on issues that matter most to community.  This includes his commitment to reducing the representation of First Nations people in the criminal justice system, turning words into action through a Statement of Commitment involving 79 tangible actions, following his historic appearance before the Yoorrook Justice Commission.  Shane’s apology to the Stolen Generations survivors and their families on 24 May 2024 also acknowledged the causes of injustices and created an opportunity to heal.    

Shane holds a number of Board positions at State and National level and is also a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He holds tertiary qualifications including a Master of Public Policy and Administration; Graduate Diploma in Public Administration (Policing); and Graduate Certificate in Applied Management.  He is a Williamson Fellow (Williamson Community Leadership Program 2007); an ANZSOG (Australia and New Zealand School of Government), LinCT (Leadership in Counter-Terrorism) program and FBI National Executive Institute leadership program alumnus; and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Police Management.   

Shane has received several policing and emergency management medals, and in 2015, was awarded the Australian Police Medal in the Australia Day Honours.   

Shane’s interests include travel, history, reading and sport.  He is married and a proud father of two children.  

Professor Euan Wallace AM MBChB MD LLD (Hons) FAAHMS FACHSM (Hons) FRCOG FRANZCOG (ret) commenced as Secretary of the Department of Health in November 2020.

Shane became the 23rd Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police in June 2020.  He leads an organisation of over 22,000 employees providing policing services to over seven million Victorians. He has responsibility for 331 police stations across the State, delivering functions required to keep Victoria safe, secure and orderly. His vision of back-to-basics policing through his Keeping You Safe Strategy is centred on exceptional policing services, a professional workforce and strong partnerships.   

Prior to his appointment as Secretary, from 2017-20 Euan was the inaugural CEO of Safer Care Victoria, and before that an academic clinician and health system leader. He was the Carl Wood Professor (2006-20) and Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University (2013-20), and Head of Women’s and Neonatal Services at Monash Health (2006-16).

As a senior academic and health system leader, Euan has undertaken a number of clinical governance and safety reviews of health services in Victoria, interstate and overseas. He has also undertaken reviews of university departments and research institutes in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. In addition to his primary research in maternal and fetal health, he has written extensively on patient safety and clinical governance.

Euan has published over 400 original scientific papers and 15 book chapters. He has an h-index of 73 with over 19,000 citations. A listing of his publications can be accessed online. He is the named inventor on four patents.