The executive for the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
Secretary
Natalie James
Natalie James is the Secretary of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations – commencing her role on 11 July 2022.
Natalie is a workplace relations expert with over twenty years’ experience. Prior to commencing her role as Secretary of the department, Natalie was a Partner at Deloitte Australia where she established the firm’s Workplace Integrity practice, a national practice made up of several partners and talented staff who help businesses develop data-driven, risk informed solutions to their workplace relations challenges.
Natalie was appointed as the Fair Work Ombudsman in July 2013 for a period of five years. She led the organisation’s work supporting employees and businesses understand their entitlements and obligations under the Fair Work Act 2009.
Between 2000 and 2013, Natalie held various roles in the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, including State Manager Victoria and Chief Counsel Workplace Relations. Her achievements include leading the development of workplace relations laws, including the Fair Work Act, and supporting successive governments to reform workplace relations legislation. Natalie also oversaw critical policy-based interventions in the courts, including the High Court challenge to the Work Choices laws, and provided legal and policy advice within Government.
Earlier in her career, Natalie worked in a range of roles in the Australian Public and Parliamentary Services including at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Before all that, she worked in retail and fast food through high school and university in Townsville, and held elected roles in the James Cook University Student union and in the National Union of Students.
Natalie was the Chair of the Victorian Government’s Inquiry into the On-Demand Workforce, producing a report in July 2020 which made groundbreaking recommendations about the frameworks regulating the gig economy.
She was named National Small Business Champion by the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia for 2018 for her support of small business in understanding their workplace obligations.
Natalie has a Bachelor of Arts Law (James Cook University) and a Masters in Law (Commercial – Labour Law, Australian National University). She is a Fellow of the Institute of Company Directors.
Natalie is an Adjunct Professor at Swinburne University of Technology’s Centre for the New Workforce. She co-authored Making Fair Work FlexWork: Reset, Restore, Reframe, with Swinburne University. This report is based on research about the value of flexible working and how they consider this to be a critical part of the employee value proposition.
Deputy Secretaries
Nathan Smyth, Deputy Secretary Employment and National Workforce Group
Nathan Smyth is the Deputy Secretary for the Employment and National Workforce Group.
Nathan is responsible for the transformative change to the delivery of employment services including the delivery and implementation of the new employment services model, the establishment of JobsHub and facilitation of Job Fairs nationwide, the Seasonal Worker Programme which provides access to Australian work opportunities by nine Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste.
Nathan has oversight of current employment services and labour market programs including Workforce Australia, Transition to Work, NEIS, and the ParentsNext preemployment program.
Nathan has also been involved in the oversight for the planning and construction of the second Sydney airport, the implementation of tobacco plain packaging, mental health policy and electoral reform.
Nathan has held a range of senior positions at Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, the Department of Finance, the Department of Health, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Nathan holds a Bachelor Degree (Political Science) from the University of NSW and a Master of Business Administration.
Nadine Williams, Deputy Secretary Skills and Training Group
Nadine Williams is Deputy Secretary for the Skills and Training Group.
Nadine has a background in microeconomic and regulatory reform and 25 years of experience in leading complex reform agendas at both the Commonwealth and State government level.
Nadine has held senior roles in the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Communications and the Arts, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of Finance and the NSW Government. She has worked across a broad range of public policy issues, oversaw the delivery of consumer regulation; regional communications policy and programs; and the National Broadband Network including employment and training policy in the Indigenous Affairs portfolio; environment and agricultural policy; and COAG regulatory and competition reform.
Martin Hehir, Deputy Secretary Workplace Relations Group
Martin is the Deputy Secretary of our Workplace Relations Group, leading a range of industrial relations policy and programs.
Martin has held several deputy secretary positions in federal government during his career. He has been responsible for areas including developing a new employment services model; work, health and safety policy; and small business and industrial relations policy. Before this, Martin Worked as Deputy Secretary for Schools and Youth in the former Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and the former Department of Education, dealing with the Australian Education Act, and associated funding mechanisms.
He has also held a number of positions in ACT Government, including as the Director-General of the Community Services Directorate, ACT Government.
Martin holds an Economics Degree from the Australian National University. He also holds a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.
Deborah Jenkins, Deputy Secretary, Corporate and Enabling Services, Chief Operating Officer
Deborah is the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Corporate and Enabling Services Group.
Prior to taking up this role in January 2023, Deborah was the Deputy Commissioner, Small Business at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) where she was responsible for the management of the Small Business Client Experience, the Goods and Service Tax (GST) product and the ATO’s program of work to address the shadow economy.
During 2022, she was the acting Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commissioner, pending the appointment of the permanent Commissioner.
Deborah joined the ATO in 2015. In addition to holding several roles within the agency, Deborah was involved in key projects including Single Touch Payroll, E invoicing and COVID stimulus measures.
Prior to joining the ATO Deborah was a partner at a large advisory firm where she held various leadership positions.
A passionate and dedicated professional, she has multinational experience through her work in Australian, New Zealand and Europe. In New Zealand she worked in both the public and private sectors, starting her career with Inland Revenue before joining law firm Bell Gully.