Premier David Crisafulli has poached South Australia’s top public servant to head Queensland’s state bureaucracy as Director-General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
South Australian Damien Walker, the chief executive of that state’s DPC, will take the equivalent role as the head of Queensland’s public service from December 23.
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas appointed Walker to the role in April 2022, weeks after leading Labor to power in the state.
Damien Walker during Queensland budget estimates in 2018.Credit: Dan Peled/AAP
Before returning home to South Australia, Walker served as director-general of Queensland’s Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning under the Palaszczuk Labor government.
During that time, the department oversaw the delivery of the controversial Wellcamp quarantine facility, of which Crisafulli and his deputy, Jarrod Bleijie, were highly critical.
Walker also came under intense questioning by Crisafulli during budget estimates in 2019 over the granting of taxpayer funds to a company co-owned by then-premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s chief of staff, David Barbagallo.
Walker was also responsible for the Queensland government’s delivery of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Along with Walker, Crisafulli also announced NSW Small Business Commissioner Chris Lamont would be Director-General of the Department of Customer Services, Open Data and Small and Family Business from January 6 next year.
“Both Damien and Chris bring enormous experience and dynamism to their respective portfolios and the public service will be strengthened by their appointments,” Crisafulli said.