The Power List PM’s top mandarins lead his reform agenda

Scott Morrison’s approach to the bureaucracy is a more subtle version of Donald Trump’s draining of the Washington swamp.

Home Affairs Department Secretary Mike Pezzullo at a parliamentary intelligence and security committee hearing in August.

Scott Morrison’s approach to the bureaucracy is a more subtle version of Donald Trump’s draining of the Washington swamp.

There is now a handful of new bureaucratic clusters, led by people who Morrison has forged tight relationships with through the crucible of policy and political hardships during his days as Treasurer, Social Services and Immigration Minister.

Leading the reform agenda across the whole of government is the new Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet head Phil Gaetjens, Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo, Treasury Secretary Steven Kennedy, Infrastructure and Transport tsar Simon Atkinson, Social Services chief Kathryn Campbell and David Fredericks, tapped to head the new Department of Industry, Energy, Science and Resources.

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Gaetjens represented the first move in the changing of the guard when he was installed as DPMC head after Martin Parkinson was told his term would not be extended.

Gaetjens’ replacement as Treasury boss was Steven Kennedy, who had driven the infrastructure portfolio for the past two years after rising through the ranks of multiple departments and considered by insiders as a pragmatic “do-er”.

Atkinson, a former chief-of-staff to Cormann and then Cabinet secretary under Malcolm Turnbull, was promoted last month from his Treasury deputy secretary role to take charge of an expanded infrastructure department.

Orbiting this group are Campbell, the Army Reserve commander, Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson, a former Ambassador to China whom Morrison rates despite rumours she was also for the chopping block.

Moriarty, a former defence intelligence officer, had forged a relationship with the PM as Ambassador to Indonesia when Morrison was working on the regional architecture for Operation Sovereign Borders. Campbell had led the welfare reforms that Morrison implemented during his stint as Social Services Minister and is considered one of the most effective public service chiefs.

A surprising move came this week, when Morrison resurrected the APS career of Andrew Metcalfe who was removed following Abbott’s election victory in 2013. He now leads the new Agriculture, Water and Environment department, a super department set-up to streamline government delivery on drought and water policy.

Referring to the old-guard mandarin club whose membership was acknowledged through public service pins worn on lapels, a government insider told Inquirer: “The era of the pin wearers is over”.