DCCEEW - WEN ACT Economics of Climate Change

Linda Ward is the Chief People Officer at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. She leads the People Division which provide a broad range of people-related services, including human resources, integrity, and work health and safety, for a workforce of 5000 people. Prior to this role, she was the Chief Operating Officer at the Australian Maritime Safety Authority from late 2021 to May 2023. Although she has undertaken senior corporate roles in recent years, Linda has spent more than 20 years working as a public sector economist.

Jo Evans is Deputy Secretary at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Ms Evans is responsible for domestic climate change policy, low emissions technology and international engagement on climate policies. Ms Evans is also responsible for portfolio bodies related to clean energy: the Clean Energy Regulator, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and the Climate Change Authority.

Ms Evans has worked in several different portfolios in policy, program and corporate roles. Prior to joining the APS in 2000, Ms Evans worked for management consultants McKinsey & Company.

Ms Evans has a Masters of Public Policy from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, a Masters in Environmental Science from the University of Melbourne and a combined bachelor degree in Asian studies and economics (honours) from the Australian National University.

Ms Evans was awarded a PSM in June 2022 for her work on climate change.

Mel Ford has been the General Manager of the National Inventory Systems and International Reporting Branch, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water since February 2022. She leads the Branch responsible for compiling Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory and our emissions projections to 2035, as well as facilitating Australia’s involvement in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Mel has also worked at SES level at the Clean Energy Regulator looking after the Emissions Reduction Fund and the Climate Change Authority undertaking reviews of Australia’s climate change policies.

Mel has 20 years experience working on climate change, water and energy issues in the Commonwealth Government and she has a Masters in Economic Policy from the Australian National University.

Kathryn Smith is the branch head of the National Adaptation Policy Office, part of the Climate Change Group in the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. She is a public policy economist specialising in climate and energy economics and has around 15 years’ experience in climate and energy policy and analysis.

Kathryn joined DCCEEW following five years at the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO). Prior to the PBO, Kathryn led the modelling and analysis for CSIRO’s second Australian National Outlook and was the Acting General Manager of Australia’s Climate Change Authority. Other roles include consultancy with the London-based Vivid Economics and advising the Australian government on the development of its carbon pricing mechanism.

Kathryn started her career in Economic Group at the Reserve Bank of Australia. She holds an MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Alex Heath is currently the Head of the Climate and Energy Division. She came to Treasury, on secondment from the RBA in August 2022 to join the Employment Taskforce. At the RBA, Alex held a number of senior management positions in the Economic Group and Financial Markets groups after she returned from her secondment to the Bank for International Settlements in Basel Switzerland in 2008. She has worked on a variety of topic areas including macroeconomic forecasting, labour market dynamics, the impact of financial regulation on financial markets, global imbalances and the foreign exchange market.

 Alex holds a PhD and MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and a BEc (Hons) from the University of Sydney.