Senior bureaucrat Shaun Drabsch to retire after five years in NT

A senior NT public servant will step aside later this year. Read about his contribution to the NT.

Senior Territory bureaucrat Shaun Drabsch will leave the NT public service in August.

The five-year veteran of the Territory system flagged his intention to retire last week.

Mr Drabsch was appointed chief executive of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade in 2019.

He had previously been working as a public affairs adviser with Santos.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler acknowledged Mr Drabsch’s work driving economic development in the Northern Territory.

Shaun Drabsch at the Northern Australia Cotton Gin, Katherine. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

“After a long and varied career of public service, including the last five years as the chief executive of DITT, Shaun Drabsch has flagged he will be retiring in August,” Ms Lawler said.

“When he retires I will be thanking Shaun for his long service to Australia especially the NT, from working with government to save\ing businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, to implementing government’s vision for more critical minerals and natural gas.

“Shaun has had a long and successful career of public service and will deserve our thanks and a happy retirement later this year.”

Between 2011 and 2013, Mr Drabsch was chief-of-staff to federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and between 2015 and 2016 he worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

A former long-time partner of retired Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, the couple split in 2018.