Secretary, Rob Stefanic
Mr Rob Stefanic was appointed Secretary of DPS in December 2015 after 19 years in the parliamentary service at the NSW Parliament. As head of the NSW Department of Parliamentary Services for over four and a half years, he implemented service reforms and oversaw a major program of capital works. Prior to this, he served as Chief Information Officer for the department, overseeing the delivery of ICT, library, archival and Hansard services to the NSW Parliament.
Prior to joining DPS in NSW, Mr Stefanic worked for the Department of the Legislative Council at the NSW Parliament where he held a number of senior positions including that of Clerk Assistant, leading the corporate support function and Committee Secretary for various standing and select committees. Before working in the parliamentary environment he worked in the chartered accounting and legal fields. Mr Stefanic has a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Executive Master of Public Administration degrees.
Mr Stefanic has been a Director on the Board of the Canberra Convention Bureau since April 2016 and Treasurer from March 2019. In December 2018 he was appointed Chair of the National Capital Education Tourism Project Stakeholder Council and in February 2019 joined the Canberra Region Tourism Leaders Forum.
Parliamentary Librarian, Dr Dianne Heriot
Dr Dianne Heriot was appointed as Parliamentary Librarian in May 2012, and subsequently appointed for a second term in May 2017. Prior to that, she was Assistant Secretary of the Research Branch of the Parliamentary Library.
Dr Heriot has many years’ experience in senior management positions in the Australian Public Service including in the Attorney-General’s Department and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons), Master of Arts (Medieval Studies) and Doctor of Philosophy in Literature.
Acting Deputy Secretary, Cate Saunders
Ms Cate Saunders was appointed as Acting Deputy Secretary in March 2019, after serving as the Chief Operating Officer from December 2017.
Before joining DPS, Ms Saunders was head of the People and Culture Branch at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and prior to this she was Chief Operating Officer at the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.
Over an eight year period, Ms Saunders held a number of senior positions with the Australian Federal Police. Prior to joining the Australian Public Service in 2000, Ms Saunders worked in the private sector for Coopers and Lybrand and Ernst & Young.
Ms Saunders is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Chief Information Officer, Antony Stinziani
Mr Antony Stinziani is the Chief Information Officer and is responsible for the implementation of the Australian Parliament Digital Strategy 2019–2022, which includes all ICT services across the Parliament and electorate offices.
Mr Stinziani has over 25 years of experience in government ICT and leadership with a focus on strategic alignment and transformation of ICT. He is involved in numerous ICT executive and policy committees across the government, university and industry sectors.
Mr Stinziani holds a degree in public sector management and ICT and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is also member of the Carers ACT Board of Directors and the Carers Australia Board of Directors.
Acting First Assistant Secretary, Fiona Knight
Ms Fiona Knight was appointed in January 2017 as Assistant Secretary, Building Services Branch. Ms Knight has more than 30 years experience working in the Public Sector.
Ms Knight’s work experience spans the delivery of numerous and diverse government programs, including the leadership and management of several hundred geographically-dispersed employees, corporate services and a large government property portfolio.
Ms Knight holds an Executive Master of Public Administration and a Graduate Diploma in Compliance.
From 1 July 2018 until 5 April 2019 the position of First Assistant Secretary was held by Mr Paul Cooper.
Acting Chief Operating Officer, Nicholas Creagh
Mr Nicholas Creagh was appointed to Acting Chief Operating Officer in March 2019 after serving as the Chief Finance Officer for DPS from September 2015.
Mr Creagh previously worked at the Treasury, where he worked on the Budget, provided implementation advice on a range of policies and was responsible for the preparation of the Treasury’s financial statements. Mr Creagh has extensive Commonwealth accounting experience and is a qualified Certified Practicing Accountant.
From 1 July 2018 until 18 March 2019 the position of Chief Operating Officer was held by Ms Cate Saunders.