MasterCraft Series - The role of the law and lawyers in delivering government priorities

Blair Comely, PSM

Blair commenced as the Secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing on 17 July 2023. Blair has served as the Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency and the Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism. Blair has also served as Secretary of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, NSW’s most senior public servant.

Prior to these positions, Blair held senior leadership positions in Treasury and the Acting Chief Executive of the Australian Office of Financial Management with responsibility for managing the Commonwealth’s debt and derivative portfolio. Blair has had extensive engagement with Commonwealth State relations, including reform of the Federation and Health funding in his role as Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet in the NSW Government.

He also has significant private sector experience as a strategy consultant advising governments, not for profits, and corporates on a wide range of matters including climate, energy, human services, health, organisational leadership and design, governance and economic policy. In 2012 Blair was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service in the development of public policy, particularly in the areas of carbon pricing and emissions trading, tax policy design and debt management.

Blair has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons), a Master of Economics and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Studies.

Tony Cook PSM

Tony Cook PSM, is Secretary of the Australian Government Department of Education, having previously held the position of Deputy Secretary of the Higher Education, Research and International Group.

Prior to commencing with the department, Tony was the Director General of the Department of Education, Queensland between April 2018 and September 2021. Tony previously held the role as Associate Secretary for Schools and Youth in the former Australian Government Department of Education and Training and has held senior executive positions within the Victorian public service.

In October 2013, Tony was made Honorary Fellow of the Australian Council for Education Leaders. In January 2014, he was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service in driving school policy and funding reform in Australia. Tony is a registered primary school teacher with a major in early childhood education. He holds a Bachelor of Education from the Queensland University of Technology.

Brooke Hartigan

Brooke Hartigan was appointed Deputy Secretary Legal Group in July 2025 in the Department of Home Affairs. She leads the departments legal work including legislation, litigation and advising across migration, citizenship, customs, national security and manages Home Affairs FOI caseload, records management and privacy policy work.

Previously, she was acting Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Criminal Justice Group and FAS Security, Counter-Terrorism Division. In these roles she led on key national security policy matters in the Attorney-General’s Department.

Brooke has also held senior roles in Education and Social Services, including a positing in Beijing. She began her career in Immigration and later work across several agencies. She holds an LLM and LLB/BA and was admitted as a solicitor in 2003.