Today I announce the appointment of Mr Philip Gaetjens as Australia's next Ambassador to the OECD in Paris.
The OECD aims to promote policies that improve the economic and social wellbeing of people around the world, and informs Australia's thinking on economic and social policy issues.
Australia benefits significantly from participation in the OECD's work in areas including economic policy, tax, trade, investment, agriculture, overseas development assistance, energy (through the International Energy Agency and Nuclear Energy Agency), employment, education, digital economy, environment and health.
Mr Gaetjens is currently the Chief of Staff to the Treasurer the Hon Scott Morrison MP, a role he also undertook for the Hon Peter Costello MP when he was Treasurer. He previously served overseas as the inaugural Director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Policy Support Unit, Singapore during 2008-2010. He has held leadership roles in the Commonwealth and State public sectors including as Secretary of the New South Wales Treasury between 2011 and 2015 and has served as a senior executive in the Commonwealth Treasury, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the South Australian Treasury and Finance Department.
Mr Gaetjens holds a Graduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of Canberra and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Economics and Geography from Flinders University.
I thank outgoing Ambassador Brian Pontifex for his contributions to advancing Australia's interests in the OECD since 2015.