Kathryn Campbell parachuted into top AUKUS job by PM&C and APSC heads, before DFAT sacking

New documents reveal Prime Minister and Cabinet Department secretary Glyn Davis and former Australian Public Service Commissioner Peter Woolcott were already figuring out where Ms Campbell could go six days before her termination was made public.

Mr Woolcott wrote to Professor Davis on June 16, 2022 that the new job "could be expected to match [Ms Campbell's] current salary", which at the time was $892,630.

Just weeks later, Ms Campbell was made a special advisor on the AUKUS submarine taskforce, which saw her being paid nearly $250,000 more than her boss.

The former secretary's ongoing position within Defence has come under recent scrutiny after she was adversely named in a report on the robodebt scheme.

Findings from the royal commission into the scheme found the former secretary, on the weight of evidence, gave misleading advice to federal cabinet.

In mid-June last year, the two senior public servants exchanged emails arranging for Ms Campbell to be placed within the Department of Defence, a response to Greens senator Barbara Pocock's question on notice showed.

Since July 2021, Ms Campbell had been the secretary for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade after stints as the head of the Human Services and Social Services departments.

But her role as secretary was set to end early, and be replaced by career diplomat Jan Adams from July 1, 2022 after Mr Albanese's reshuffle of department heads.

Mr Woolcott sent an email to Professor Davis in the week leading up to the Prime Minister's public announcement.

Following on from a previous conversation between the two, not included in the released documents, Mr Woolcott said the plan to offer Ms Campbell a new job and allow her to continue earning her $900,000 salary package was "moving forward".

"I have suggested to them [Ms Campbell and Defence secretary Greg Moriarty] both that once Catherine [sic] is terminated, she is immediately placed on a three year non on-going [sic] contract with Defence," Mr Woolcott wrote.

"She will then take LWOP [leave without pay] for a month or two while the job is worked up, noting that it would really come into its own once the decision on the provider was made.

"Her salary would be set by correspondence between Greg and myself, but could be expected to match her current salary.

"They will give thought to her title, but she will basically be a highly paid band 3."

The PM&C secretary agreed with the proposal by Mr Woolcott on the same day.

"Appreciate you working with Greg and Kathryn through to a landing - these sound an entirely workable set of arrangements," Professor Davis wrote back on June 16.

A spokesperson from the Prime Minister and Cabinet Department told The Canberra Times Ms Campbell's appointment was made by Defence secretary Greg Moriarty, not Professor Davis.

Mr Moriarty previously told a Senate estimates committee he was first approached by Professor Davis on June 14 about finding a role for Ms Campbell.

A fortnight later, Mr Moriarty proposed Ms Campbell continue earning her DFAT salary in the top AUKUS role due to "critical nature of the position" and the "experience Ms Campbell will bring to the Department of Defence and more broadly across government".

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Special approvals are required to pay public servants a package higher than that of a secretary.

While Ms Campbell's proposed senior band 3 role would report to the submarine taskforce's head, Vice-Admiral Jonathan Mead, her salary would exceed his by nearly $250,000, according to the documents.

Mr Woolcott ultimately approved the proposal to bring over Ms Campbell's salary on June 30, a day before her term as DFAT secretary expired.

Ms Campbell was determined to be "well suited to meet the demanding and significant requirements of this role".

The $892,630 remuneration package includes one airline lounge membership, business class for overseas and some domestic travel, a maximum of two professional memberships up to the value of $1000 and up to $2500 in professional financial advice.

The cost of a car park at Russell Offices, at $1690 per year, was not included in the package.

The AUKUS submarine taskforce was transitioned into the Australian Submarine Agency on July 1.

Taskforce chief Vice-Admiral Jonathan Mead was named as its inaugural director-general and is paid a total package of $660,570 per year, according to a recent Remuneration Tribunal determination.

It is not clear whether Ms Campbell's role was also transitioned to the fresh agency.

The Department of Defence has continued to keep the status of Ms Campbell's ongoing role within the program a secret, citing personal reasons.

The Canberra Times contacted the Department of Defence and the Australian Public Service Commission for comment.

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