The executive for the Department of Education.
Secretary of the Department of Education
Tony Cook PSM
Tony 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.
Deputy Secretaries
Kylie Crane PSM, Deputy Secretary Early Childhood and Youth
Kylie Crane is a proud career public servant with over 30 years’ experience in service delivery, policy development, program and project management, and implementation.
Kylie started her public service career in an entry level role with the Department of Defence before taking on a range of service delivery and operational roles in the Department of Social Security and Centrelink.
Since 2014, Kylie has held senior roles in the Department of Human Services, the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. She has led large-scale transformation projects, worked across a range of social policy issues and programs, driven reform through bilateral arrangements and led the Care Workforce Labour Market Study, the first ‘whole of sector’ examination of the care and support workforce.
Kylie is passionate about public service and was elected to the Institute for Public Administration Australia ACT Council in 2021. In January 2022, she was awarded a Public Service Medal (PSM) for contributions to the Disability Taskforce and to the Early Childhood Education and Care Relief Package during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kylie has a Master of Business Administration and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Meg Brighton, Deputy Secretary Schools Group
Meg Brighton commenced as Deputy Secretary, Schools with the Department of Education in March 2023.
Prior to joining the Department, Meg was the inaugural Head of the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service (PWSS) – an independent and confidential function that was established in response to high profile, complex and highly sensitive issues in Australia’s Parliament House. The function is focused on strengthening the workplace culture in Commonwealth Parliamentary workplaces.
Meg has also held a number of senior roles in the ACT Government. As the Deputy Director-General in ACT Health she had a senior role in the ACT Government’s COVID response as well as being responsible for leading strategic policy, health funding reform, system planning and jurisdiction-wide approaches to clinical leadership, education and health research.
Prior to this, as Deputy Director-General and Acting Director-General of the ACT Education Directorate, Meg was responsible for strategic policy and service delivery reform, education programs, school funding and the operations of all the ACT’s public schools.
Meg has more than 20 years’ experience across economic and social policy portfolios, regulation, corporate services and service delivery in the ACT, NSW and Canadian public sectors. She has also held a number of non-executive director roles in the non-government sector and has served on the Boards of ACARA and the ACT Teacher Quality Institute.
Meg holds a Master of Commerce (major in Law) and a Bachelor of Arts (major in Public Relations).
Karen Sandercock, A/g Deputy Secretary Higher Education, Research and International Group
Karen Sandercock is the Acting Deputy Secretary of the Higher Education, Research and International Group in the Australian Government Department of Education.
Karen played a central role in shaping and leading the Australian Government’s reform agenda for international education as the First Assistant Secretary of International Division – supporting a sector that is high-quality, sustainable, founded on integrity and aligned with Australia’s national interests. Karen has overseen policy development and program delivery for international education, including tuition protection for international students, transnational education expansion, and student visa integrity. She has led engagement with the national security community on university linkages and played a key role in reforms to the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) legislation and the managing growth in international education representing the most significant policy shift in decades.
Karen has extensive experience in international education and diplomacy on public policy. Karen has guided the Government’s bilateral and multilateral education and research relationships across domestic and international education stakeholders. She has led on strengthening student mobility, quality assurance, qualifications recognition, and transnational education – particularly across South and South East Asia. She has regularly represented Australia in policy dialogue with international partners, including on education issues in the G20, APEC and other fora.
Karen has served in senior roles across the Australian Public Service, including leading the Department’s Taskforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Karen has held diplomatic roles with the Australian Government including at the Australian Embassy to Japan, and the Australian Embassy to Italy, and has contributed to reforms across higher education, employment, and industrial relations policy.
Karen holds qualifications in psychology from Curtin University.
Marcus Markovic, Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, Corporate and Enabling Services Group
Marcus Markovic is the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer for the Corporate and Enabling Services Group.
Marcus has a long career in the Australian Public Service and has held senior finance and technology executive roles in the Department of Education, Department of Human Services, ComSuper and the Australian Taxation Office.
He has extensive experience in leading large operational, finance and information technology teams and implementing change programs.
Marcus’ academic qualifications include a Master of Business Administration, Graduate Diploma (Information Systems) and Bachelor of Commerce.
He is also a fellow of CPA Australia and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Nathan Smyth, Senior Responsible Officer, Building Early Education Fund
Nathan Smyth is the Senior Responsible Officer for the Building Early Education Fund in the Commonwealth Department of Education.
Prior to his current role, Nathan was the Deputy Secretary of National Security and Resilience at Home Affairs. Concurrent to that role, Nathan was appointed as the Commonwealth's Counter Terrorism Coordinator and National Counter Foreign Interference Coordinator.
Nathan has extensive experience as a Commonwealth senior executive. As a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Employment, he was responsible for the transformative change of employment services, including the delivery and implementation of the employment services model and the Seasonal Worker Program.
Nathan has held a range of senior positions across government, including at the Department of Health, where he was responsible for the implementation and oversight of Tobacco Plain Packaging; the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities, where he was responsible for the Western Sydney Unit including the preliminary planning and assessment for the Western Sydney International Airport; the Department of Finance; and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Nathan holds a Bachelor Degree (Political Science) from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales.