Health boss Kathrine Morgan- Wicks to head Tasmanian state service

The senior executive who steered the Department of Health through the Covid pandemic and the Commission of Inquiry has been appointed to head the Tasmanian state service.

Secretary and Head of Agency at Department of Health Tasmania Kathrine Morgan- Wicks at Collins Street Vaccination Centre, Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

The senior executive who steered the Department of Health through the Covid pandemic and the Commission of Inquiry has been appointed to head the Tasmanian state service, Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced on Thursday.

Kathrine Morgan-Wicks was a familiar sight to Tasmanians during the Covid pandemic, usually pictured holding a black clipboard stuffed with notes during the daily televised press briefings.

Ms Morgan Wicks replaces former Department of Premier and Cabinet Secretary Jenny Gale, whose resignation was announced shortly after the state election.

She has served as Secretary for the Department of Health since 2019 and previously held senior positions in the Department of Justice, and Department of Treasury and Finance, as well as senior executive and legal roles with the Commonwealth.

“Corporate governance, financial management, cultural change and transforming organisations has been at the heart of Ms Morgan-Wicks’ service-oriented career,” Mr Rockliff said.

“As Secretary for the Department of Health, Ms Morgan-Wicks has been responsible for the delivery of the Tasmanian Health Service, and overseen significant reforms throughout our public health system, including Ambulance Tasmania, major hospitals, district health services and mental health.

Kathrine Morgan-Wicks secretary Department of Health. Picture: Linda Higginson

“More recently, Tasmanians have witnessed the leadership of Ms Morgan-Wicks throughout the Covid-19 pandemic where she was instrumental in her role as State Health Commander and was acknowledged with a public service medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2022.

The citation acknowledged her decision to close, deep clean and recommission two major hospitals at the height of the outbreak: “outstanding leadership during a period of unparalleled difficulty, uncertainty, and risk.”.

“Ms Morgan-Wicks’ decisions and actions were found to be a major, difficult and ultimately correct, course of action, preventing a far worse outcome had she not acted at the time and in the manner that she did," it said.

Ms Morgan-Wicks was also a witness at the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings, where she made an emotional apology to victim-survivors.

“I am personally horrified by the lack of empathy, humanity, and often a lack of trauma-informed approach by my Department and the Tasmanian Health Service to such devastating accounts of abuse from the victim-survivors who have shown immense courage to come forward,” she said.

Ms Morgan-Wicks also frequently personally attended the public gallery during the hearings after her appearance, taking copious notes during proceedings.

She starts her new job on Monday. Mr Rockliff said Dale Webster will be Acting Secretary for the Department of Health until a permanent secretary is appointed.

The position carried a total salary package worth $545,000 in 2022/23, according to the DPAC annual report.

Ms Morgan-Wicks was on a total package worth $559,000 at Health in 2022-23.