Turner, Patricia Ann (1952 - )

An Arrernte and Gurdanji woman, Patricia Turner has had a long and varied career in the Australian Public Service with over 20 years experience and has been in the senior executive ranks since 1985. Patricia was CEO of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission for 4 years from 1994-98.

Patricia Turner took up the position of Deputy CEO, Centrelink, Canberra, on 1 January, 2002. Previously, she was Executive Director, Indigenous Services with Centrelink. In 2000, she worked with the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care as Head of the Regulatory Reform Taskforce reviewing the administrative arrangements for public health and safety regulation at the federal level. Patricia's long and varied career in the Australian Public Service began in the Social Policy Branch of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA) in Canberra (1979-84). She has been in the senior executive ranks of the public service since 1985, when she became Director of the DAA in Alice Springs, N.T. (1985-86). Patricia then became First Assistant Secretary, Economic Development Division in the DAA, and in 1989, Deputy Secretary. In 1987-88 Patricia was Festival Director of the 5th Festival of Pacific Arts in Townsville, Queensland.

Patricia was CEO of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission for 4 years from 1994-98, making her the most senior Indigenous government official in Australia. She also worked as Deputy Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet during 1991-92, with oversight of the establishment of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and with responsibility for the Office of the Status of Women among other matters. Patricia did have a change from public administration when for 18 months she held the position of Monash Chair in Australian Studies at Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA.

Patricia holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Canberra; where she was awarded University prize for Development Studies. She was awarded the Order of Australia for public service in 1990.

Source: P. Turner's Bio and CV

Conference Papers

• Patricia Turner, 'Indigenous Australians and tourism: conference issues revisited', in Indigenous Australians and Tourism Conference, (1993: Darwin). Indigenous Australians and Tourism: a Focus on Northern Australia: Proceedings, 1993, pp. 83-85. [ Details... ]
• Patricia Turner, 'Administration and self determination. -Paper presented at the Aboriginal Peoples, Federalism and Self Determination Conference (1993: Townsville, Qld )', in Aboriginal Self-Determination in Australia, 1994, pp. 53-56. [ Details... ]

Journal Articles

• Patricia Turner, 'The human rights approach to development assistance: an indigenous perspective', Development Bulletin (Canberra), vol. 34, 1995, pp. 18-20. [ Details... ]
• Patricia Turner, 'Public policy in indigenous affairs: no miraculous solutions [Garran Oration, Institute of Public Administration Australia. Conference (1996)]', Australian Journal of Public Administration, vol. 56, no. 2, 1997, pp. 3-11. [ Details... ]
• Patricia Turner, 'Farewell to a freedom fighter [Tributes to the late Charles Perkins 1936-2000, at his State Funeral at Sydney Town Hall and eulogy by Patricia Turner]', ATSIC News, Feb 2001, 2001. [ Details... ]

See also

• Cole Adams, Kate, 'Mission possible. -Bureaucrat Pat Turner is winning a private battle in the public fields of race and government', Time Australia, vol. 8, no. 34, 1993, pp. 68-69. [ Details... ]
• Kavanagh, 'TURNER SOUNDS RIGHT FOR ANTIC TASK', Courier-Mail, 27/6/1994, p. 8. [ Details... ]
• Lowitja O'Donoghue, Excerpt of speech by Lowitja (Lois) O'Donoghue, Emily's List (Australia), 1998, http://labor.net.au/emilyslist/news/speeches/980321Lowitja.html. [ Details... ]
• McLean, 'ABORIGINAL LEADER WHO CAN SHAKE UP, STAND UP', Australian, 23/6/1994, p. 11. [ Details... ]
• Women's History Month, Patricia Turner, AM, National Women's Media Centre, 2000, http://www.nwmc.org.au/history2/biogs/turner.htm. [ Details... ]