NSW Treasury Secretary Michael Pratt denies he’ll retire

Michael Pratt has sensationally denied he’s intending to retire, despite ongoing government efforts to seek his replacement.

NSW Treasury secretary Michael Pratt (C) denies he is planning to retire.

NSW Treasury Secretary Michael Pratt has sensationally denied that he is intending to retire from his role, in a statement that jars with ongoing efforts by the Perrottet-Government to seek out his replacement.

Mr Pratt issued an all-staff memo to treasury officials on Wednesday, obtained by The Australian, stating that he had not resigned but was considering his future as the organisation continues to have “so much work left to do to help NSW recover from the pandemic”.

The Australian reported on Wednesday that Mr Pratt had informed the government of his intention to retire three weeks ago, prompting the Perrottet Government to begin interviewing candidates to find his replacement.

At least four people have been seriously considered for the role, including NDIS CEO Martin Hoffman. Mr Pratt was said to have signalled his intention to resign with a view to remaining in the role until March 2022.

In his statement issued on Wednesday, Mr Pratt said he had “not resigned” but had been “weighing up whether to return to the private sector” before the state election following nearly a decade in the public service.

“The timing would enable a smooth transition to a new Secretary before the poll,” he wrote.

“Only a small number of people were aware of my early thinking. Unfortunately, this information has been prematurely leaked to the media, and I am disappointed with this breach of confidentiality.”

Mr Pratt and other Treasury officials have been mired in controversy in recent months over the government’s $40bn Transport Asset Holding Entity, which continues to be examined by a NSW parliamentary inquiry.

The Australian reported on Tuesday that the NSW Auditor-General was threatening to reject the state’s accounts due to “significant accounting issues” identified with the Treasury-backed TAHE initiative.

Further allegations have also been made against Mr Pratt and others by a former KMPG consultant, who claimed to have been pressured not to criticise Treasury’s calculations of the state-owned rail corporation.