Jane Halton


Sarah Jane "Jane" Halton is a former senior Australian public servant. She was the head of the Department of Health between January 2002 and June 2014 and the head of the Department of Finance from 2014 to 2016. She joined the board of ANZ Bank in October 2016. She will commence as the Independent Chair of COTA Australia in December 2017.

Background and early life

Jane Halton was born on 4 January 1960 in Wickwar, Gloucestershire, England. She and her family moved to Australia in 1973 when her father, Charles Halton, was recruited from Canada by the Whitlam Government to lead the Department of Transport. Jane Halton has an Honours degree in psychology from the Australian National University.

Career

Halton's first joined the Australian Public Service in the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
As a Deputy Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Halton was convener of the People Smuggling Taskforce in the Children Overboard Affair.
Prime Minister John Howard appointed Jane Halton as Secretary of the new Department of Health and Ageing in January 2002. The Department was reformed as the Department of Health in September 2013, when the Abbott Government was elected, and Halton remained at the head. During this time, Halton was responsible for providing advice to government on issues including the administration of Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and private health insurance, and for implementing a $60 billion budget. While she was Health Secretary, Halton led the development of the first Memorandum of Understanding between Medicines Australia and the Australian Government, in 2010.
In June 2014, Halton was appointed Secretary of the Department of Finance. Halton identified strengthening the performance framework for measuring the impact of Australian Government programs and services as a priority in the role, with a focus on streamlining, boosting transparency and providing a greater level of accountability. She also emphasised the scope of work harnessing technology to deliver public services more efficiently across government agencies into different platforms.
Halton announced her resignation, set for 15 October 2016, on 16 September 2016. After stepping down as Secretary, Halton was appointed to the board of the ANZ Bank and Vault Systems.
Halton is chair of the global Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and in March 2020 was appointed to the executive board of the Australian National COVID-19 Coordination Commission.

Awards and honours

Halton was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2002 and the Centenary Medal in 2003.
In 2014, Halton was ranked number eight in The Australian Women's Weekly Power List of Australia's 50 most powerful women.
Halton was created an Officer of the Order of Australia in June 2015. She was made an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in 2015.