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 Group
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 and Youth 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).
Jasmina Joldić PSM, Deputy Secretary Higher Education, Research and International Group
Jasmina Joldić PSM is Deputy Secretary of the Higher Education, Research and International Group. She is a senior executive with over 18 years of experience across state and federal governments and the higher education sector.
Before joining the department, Jasmina was Director-General of Queensland’s Department of Justice and Attorney-General. She previously held senior roles in Queensland Health, leading system-wide policy including HealthQ32 and contributing to the state’s COVID-19 response.
Her career spans strategic leadership positions in agencies such as the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, State Development, Community Safety, and the federal Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. She has also worked in higher education at the University of Queensland and University of Melbourne.
Jasmina was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2022 and named Griffith University and Griffith Business School Alumnus of the Year in 2023. She is an Adjunct Professor at Griffith University, an ANZSOG Practice Fellow, and holds degrees from the University of Queensland and Griffith 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.
David Turvey PSM, Executive Director, Interim Australian Tertiary Education Commission
David is responsible for overseeing establishment of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission. Prior to his current role, David was Executive Director of Jobs and Skills Australia and prior to that, First Assistant Secretary, National Skills Commission. David has held executive roles at the Department of Education Skills and Employment, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, Australian Treasury, and the Department of Finance and Administration. David also worked as an economist at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. David has worked in a range of policy areas including labour market policy, vocational education and training policy, industry policy, fiscal policy and public debt management.
His governance experience covers several Australian Government entity audit committee roles and as Treasurer of not-for-profit community organisations in the ACT. David holds a Master of Economics from the Australian National University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
David was awarded a Public Service Medal in the 2025 King’s Birthday Honours for his work in establishing Jobs and Skills Australia and its predecessor the National Skills Commission.