Peter Boxall

Peter Boxall AO
Secretary of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
In office 3 December 2007 – 2008
Secretary of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
In office 26 November 2001 – 3 December 2007
Secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration
In office 9 October 1997 – 23 November 2001
Secretary of the Department of Finance
In office 18 January 1997 – 9 October 1997
Personal details
Born	Peter John Boxall
Nationality	Australian
Spouse(s)	Karen Chester
Children	2 daughters
Alma mater	Monash University (BEc (Hons)) Australian National University (MEc) University of Chicago (PhD)
Occupation	Public servant

Peter John Boxall AO is a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker.

Background and early life

Peter Boxall was brought up on a farm in Victoria.^[1] From year nine, he went to boarding school at Ballarat Grammar.^[1] He attained a Master of Economics from the Australian National University in 1973.^[2]

Career

Boxall spent seven years working at the International Monetary Fund in the United States.^[3] He then chose to study for his doctorate at the University of Chicago with supervision from Gary Becker, Robert Lucas and Sherwin Rosen.^[4]

On returning to Australia in 1986, Boxall joined the Department of the Treasury in the Australian Public Service. He took leave from work in the public sector to work as Chief of staff to Peter Costello, Deputy leader of the Liberal Party of Australia in the late 1980s and early 1990s.^[3][5]

Boxall returned to the Australian Public Service in 1997, having been appointed Secretary of the Department of Finance.^[6] He stayed with the finance department as it transitioned to become the Department of Finance and Administration.^[7] While head of the Finance Department, Boxall was known as being at the forefront of outsourcing services from the public service, including for IT.^[8] He also oversaw efforts to engage the private sector to manage the Department's $2.5 billion property portfolio, with the aim to tap into a strategic partnership as an avenue for resources and expertise.^[9]

In 2001 he was appointed Secretary of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), an organisation with over 3000 staff.^[10][11] During his time at DEWR he was involved in implementing the Howard Government's controversial WorkChoices policies.^[12][13] He stayed at DEWR until December 2007 when he was appointed head of the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism.

Boxall worked as a commissioner Australian Securities and Investments Commission between January 2009 and November 2011, leaving to take up a job in the NSW Government as Chairman of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.^[13][14]

In 2013 and 2014, he was a member of the Abbott Government's National Commission of Audit, which was established to improve the Australian government's budget.^[15][16]

Awards

Boxall was named an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2007 for service to economic and financial policy development and reform in the areas of accrual budgeting, taxation and workplace relations.^[17]

Notes

1. Malone 2006, p. 91.
2. Peter John Boxall AO: Master of Economics ANU 1973, Australian National University
3. Boxall, Peter, "Chapter 11: Reflections of an 'unabashed rationalist'", in Wanna, John; Vincent, Sam; Podger, Andrew, With the Benefit of Hindsight: Valedictory Reflections from Departmental Secretaries 2004-11, p. 99
4. Malone 2006, p. 92.
5. Mitchell, Alex (9 January 2009). "Reward: Plum jobs for wrecking bureaucratic disaster". Crikey. Archived from the original on 19 January 2014.
6. CA 2140: Department of Finance [I], Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 19 January 2014
7. CA 8480: Department of Finance and Administration, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 19 January 2014
8. Van Dijk, Sandra (9 November 2000). "Unions Fear Outsourcing Review a Whitewash". Computer World. Archived from the original on 5 May 2014.
9. Boxall, Peter (4 October 2000), ANU Postgraduate Careers Advice Seminar, Department of Finance and Administration, archived from the original on 11 February 2002
10. Malone 2006, p. 94.
11. CA 8869: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Central Office, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 19 January 2014
12. Allard, Tom; Kenny, Mark (24 October 2013). "Contract riches for audit chief". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013.
13. Kehoe, John (21 November 2011). "Boxall to head NSW price watchdog". Australian Financial Review.
14. Cleary, Paul (16 November 2011). "Top ASIC man for NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell". The Australian. News Corp Australia.
15. Hurst, Daniel (15 January 2014). "Australia's budget is deteriorating, says commission of audit head". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014.
16. Kohler, Alan (23 October 2013). "Commission of Audit must bring up the bodies". Australian Broadcasting Commission. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013.
17. Search Australian Honours: BOXALL, Peter John, Australian Government

References and further reading

• Malone, Paul (2006), "Chapter 14: The Unabashed Rationalist – Peter Boxall, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations", Australian department heads under Howard : career paths and practice (PDF), Canberra, Australia: The Australian National University, pp. 91–97, ISBN 1-920942-83-1, archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2013