Biographical details—Katherine Jones PSM

Katherine Jones PSM, Secretary

Katherine Jones PSM is the Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Department – a role she was appointed to in August 2021. Prior to this, Katherine was Associate Secretary of the Department of Defence (from June 2020 to July 2021), Deputy Secretary in the Department of Finance (from October 2017 to May 2020), and Deputy Secretary in the Attorney‑General’s Department (from 2014 to 2017).

In a public service career spanning 25 years, Katherine has held a number of senior executive positions in the fields of law and justice, human rights, First Nations justice and programs, national security, criminal justice, emergency management and international crime cooperation. 

She is the Indigenous Champion for the Australian Public Service.  

In 2017, Katherine received a Public Service Medal for her outstanding contribution in the field of national security. 

Before joining the public service, Katherine spent more than a decade in educational and academic publishing as a sponsoring editor and publisher at the McGraw Hill Book Co. She has a Bachelor of Arts from La Trobe University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales.