Professor Brendan Murphy is expected to retire from his role as health department secretary. The bushy-browed top doctor — the first doctor in more than 30 years to hold the political position — rose to fame for leading Australia through the pandemic as Australia’s chief medical officer before being promoted in June 2020.
He denied as early as last week that retirement was on his mind, arguing there was a lot more work to be done on non-COVID-19 health reform.
“I have no plans to move on at the moment,” he told The Canberra Times.
“Idle speculation in the misinformed media has suggested that, but I’m enjoying my role. In fact I’m very keen to do some non-COVID health reform work. I’ve got a really vibrant and strong department, a good executive team and I’ve got no plans to go anywhere.”
A lot can change in a week, apparently. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to appoint several new secretaries to run key government departments in a shake-up of top jobs.
Not much is known about the notoriously private Murphy and his political connections. He’s been painted as a fiercely intelligent, cheery man — who is also incredibly clumsy in the lab.
He was lauded for his clear communication style during the first few months of the pandemic, and last week was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia for his service to medical administration and community health.
But as the pandemic dragged on, he also faced fierce criticism and was accused of being former prime minister Scott Morrison’s mouthpiece. Murphy refused to answer questions in the Senate about medical advice given to the government, refused to release a list of aged care facilities in Victoria that were battling COVID-19 outbreaks, and incorrectly claimed Australia’s COVID-19 testing was “probably the best in the world”.
There were also concerns about the independence of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, which advised Murphy, and the secrecy of the advice he gave to the government in the National Cabinet under strict secrecy provisions.
Murphy has rejected the idea his role has been politicised. “As a public servant we serve the government of the day and support them. I’ve never felt in any way politicised,” he said.
“I don’t think anyone seriously thinks that I’ve become politicised. I reject that assertion completely.
“I’ve got a really good relationship with the new government, and we’re happy to work with [Anthony Albanese] and implement their agenda.”
Murphy also bore some of the blame for Australia’s slow vaccine rollout and coined the term “not a race” — first to discuss the approval process for each vaccine, only to use it to describe the vaccine rollout as a whole.
Criticisms aside, Murphy had the challenging role of becoming the face of Australia’s pandemic response, addressing the public almost daily on changing medical advice, outbreaks and vaccine efficacy.
The government shake-up is expected to be announced in the coming days.
The point here that attracted my interest is this now ubiquitous obsession with secrecy, in politics, in business and the settlement of disputes. Secrecy has become the default setting in all these contexts, fortified by a refusal to justify it.
Whilst business will idiotically continue with its obsession with the keeping of often banal secrets, I suggest that the default position in relation to government should be that cabinet confidence must be maintained but circumscribed to minimise misuse and manipulation and that any report to a minister, from the department or a consultant, should be public unless there is some genuine concern with individual or public safety or it is clearly not in the public interest to disclose parts of any such report. Then the redacted or excised parts should be treated cabinet papers and disclosed in due course. We cannot claim to be an open democracy when government presides over too much corrosive secrecy, mimicking fascists.
I hope he got us ready for the next pandemic. He sure as sh-t didn’t for the last one.
I thought he began well, but became an LNP apologist. The scandalous decision not to encourage masks resulted in the Victorian outbreak in 2020. He was months behind the leading research on how Covid spread and I was angered but by no means amazed by his appointment to the political gig. Begone I say.
Ask the College of Anesthetists and doctors at the Austin Hospital what they think of Brendan Murphy.
In comparison with the State’s Chief Health Medical Officers all who worked tirelessly during the pandemic and lockdowns and communicated daily to the public, delivering the facts with honesty, Dr Murphy looked tired and out-of-date and he was definitely under Morrison direction. Dr Murphy’s attempt to cover up for the Minister Colbeck and Federal govt during the enquiry into the Aged-Care deaths and on-going negligent behavoir exposed his craven support for the Liberal Govt under exPM Morrison. I do not believe he was admired by anyone except for Liberals.
Good take on the DIRECTION.
I think it’s less indicative of a philosophical/ideological bent than an illustration of someone with imperfect judgement (and history thereof!) The Abbott/Morrison governments wanted compliant public servants who just said ‘Yes’ rather than ideologues (putting aside Gaetjens, who was obsequious, ideological and generally unfit for the role).
The Poison Dwarf actually had Colbeck on his show Tuesday morning offering advice laden with criticism of the month old government’s handling of aged care.
Hard to decide which creature is the more reprehensible.
Being appointed AC is usually a sign that its retirement time.