Retiring department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry secretary Andrew Metcalfe says better training needed for future public service leaders

Delivering his valedictory at an Institute of Public Administration Australia event on Wednesday, Mr Metcalfe said failures of public administration "sometimes tragically occur" and formal training was essential for those heading for senior executive service.

The former immigration secretary, who has spent more than 40 years in the public service, believes training should focus on "case study style methodology" that looks at what has and hasn't worked in the past.

"While well-meaning, and I hold myself to account here, I believe that the APS's efforts in this regard have often been fragmented, sometimes desultory, and heavily dependent on available departmental budget allocations," he said.

"As part of the APS reform program, I therefore believe that we need to invest much more in preparing our future leaders for their many responsibilities, and ensuring that as part of that, they benefit from the accumulated wisdom of those who have gone before, and that they are schooled in the successes and the mistakes of the past."

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Mr Metcalfe began his career in the public service in 1980 as an administrative trainee.

Since then, he has led three federal departments, including the former Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and the Agriculture Department.

He was sacked from his agriculture secretary job in 2013 by the newly elected Abbott government and spent six years in the private sector before being reappointed to the role in 2020.

Mr Metcalfe said the APS "occasionally failed by their standards" but largely has been "a force for good".

Speaking on the immigration department, he praised what he described as its culture of recognising and fixing mistakes but conceded it wasn't perfect, citing the number of immigration detention cases in the early 2000s among the most tragic.

He pointed to the unlawful detention of Australian and German citizen Cornelia Rau and wrongful deportation of Vivian Alvarez Solon as the among the "most infamous" cases.

"In the view of many of us, the department's handling of Ms Alvarez was the most egregious," he said.

"Not only was she misidentified and illegally deported, but when that fact separately became known some time later to two mid-ranking officers, they did nothing about it and indeed, they covered it up."

Mr Metcalfe said the public service had incidents of failure but it also played "a critical role" in the nation's society, economy, and protection and therefore needed more investment in its future leaders.

"Public servants administer programs, some of which are small and targeted, and many of which are of wide application, involving many people, millions of people and the expenditure of billions of dollars," he said.

"We regulate major areas of the economy, and many aspects of people's lives and livelihoods.

"We provide advice and support to ministers. We need the best possible leadership. The Australian government and the Australian community expect no less and deserve no less."

Mr Metcalfe will retire on August 4.

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