Nathan Smyth was appointed as Deputy Secretary National Security and Resilience on 17 July 2023.
Nathan leads the Group responsible for domestic and international engagement on national security, while broadening our approach to countering terrorism and foreign interference, and strengthening our democratic and national resilience. Concurrently, Nathan was appointed as the Commonwealth’s Counter-Terrorism Coordinator and National Counter Foreign Interference Coordinator. Nathan is focused on developing a more secure and resilient nation.
Before taking up his current position, Nathan served as Deputy Secretary Employment and National Workforce within the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. In that role, Nathan was responsible for the transformative change to the delivery of employment services, including the delivery and implementation of the new employment services model and the Seasonal Worker Program, which provides access to Australian work opportunities by nine Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste.
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 and Regional Development; 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.
