IPAA confirms Metcalfe, Palmer reappointments at National AGM

The Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) is pleased to announce the re-election of Andrew Metcalfe AO FIPAA as National President and Sam Palmer FIPAA as National Secretary following our recent AGM. In his first term as National President Andrew Metcalfe has driven a comprehensive strategic refresh for the 2025-2030 IPAA National Strategic Plan, recently endorsed by the National Council. IPAA National’s purpose: to promote excellence and pride in public administration systems across Australia aims to support the practitioner-focused work of each of the State and Territory Divisions. New National priorities for the professional body for public administration include: advancing the profession through thought leadership, acting as the national voice of the profession and showcasing excellence. The renewed strategy places a special emphasis on engaging Australia’s public administration research community through IPAA’s Australian Journal of Public Administration, and seeing IPAA National’s orations – the Garran Oration and the Frances Adamson Oration – return to a nationally rotating  model commencing with the Garran Oration on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of a federated public sector hosted by Victoria IPAA in Melbourne in April 2026. Commenting on his new two-year term, Andrew said: ” I am honoured to continue serving as National President and thank the National Council for their support. Our newly refreshed strategic plan sets out a clear purpose for IPAA National, and a clear sense of how it seeks to add national value to the work of our State and Territory IPAAs. At a time when trust in government, and community respect for our public services and public servants is often variable, IPAA has a valuable role to play.” Foreshadowing future work for 2026, Metcalfe was keen to work with the IPAA network and stakeholders more broadly, in support of nationally important conversations that impacted all levels of the profession. “We want to foster dialogue in ways that traditional formal structures may not easily support. We should encourage discussion across conventional boundaries and silos within the Australian public sectors, the broader public administration and democratic spheres. I look forward to convening nationally significant discussions on important themes for our profession such as integrity, trust and democracy. Additionally, he added: “We are wanting to build and renew strong connections between practitioners and academics in the field of public administration, as well as connecting with our extensive network of Fellows of the Institute.” As National Secretary, Sam Palmer played a key role in supporting IPAA’s strategic planning throughout 2024 and 2025 and chairing the judging panels for the annual Sam Richardson Award. Her upcoming focus will be on reviewing IPAA National’s 40-year-old governance arrangements, ensuring they continue to provide effective support for members and the profession into the future. Sam stated, “I am delighted to return to the role of National Secretary at such a pivotal time for IPAA National and our member divisions. By modernising our governance structures, we can better serve our members and reinforce IPAA’s commitment to excellence in public administration for public servants, researchers and professionals delivering public value through supporting governments. As our profession evolves so must we.”