Andrew Podger is honorary Professor of Public Policy at ANU. In recent years he has also held appointments at Xi’an Jiao-tong University, Zhejiang University and Renmin University in China.

He spent 37 years in the Australian Public Service in a range of portfolios, specializing mostly in social policy and public management. He was Secretary of the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care from 1996 to 2002, and previously headed the Departments of Housing and Regional Development (1994-95) and Administrative Services (1993-94). He was Public Service Commissioner from 2002 to 2004. He also held SES positions in Social Security, Finance and Defence between 1978 and 1993.

From 2004 to 2010, he was National President of the Institute of Public Administration Australia.

Since retiring from the APS in 2005, Andrew Podger has advised governments in Australia and Asia (e.g. China, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Timor Leste, Myanmar) on various aspects of public administration, particularly on social policies and public sector management.

Since joining ANU, initially as an adjunct professor in 2005, he has coordinated and contributed to many workshops of academic experts and practitioners on issues of contemporary relevance to government, including through the Greater China Australia Dialogue on Public Administration and the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. He has published widely on retirement incomes policy, health and health insurance policy, the relationship between politics and administration, public finance management and public personnel management.

He is also frequently invited to present to international forums such as the International Institute of Administrative Studies and the American Society for Public Administration, and frequently presents to visiting government delegations from, for example, China, Indonesia, PNG, Pakistan and Kenya.

Over recent years he has made substantial submissions to Parliamentary and other inquiries into financial management, public sector remuneration and the public service itself.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in pure mathematics from Sydney University, is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, a National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia, a Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government and a National Fellow of the National (US) Academy of Public Administration. He was National President of the Institute of Public Administration Australia from 2004 to 2010. He was made an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2004.