Bernard McKay
{{Short description|Australian public servant}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
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| office1 = Secretary of the Department of Health
| term_start1 = 10 September 1984
| term_end1 = 24 July 1987
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| birth_date = 1940
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| occupation = Public servant
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| nationality = Australian
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| honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=AUS|AO|size=100%}}
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Bernard Vincent "Bernie" McKay (born 1939 or 1940) is a former senior Australian public servant. He was Secretary of the Department of Health between 1984 and 1987.
Life and career
McKay was born in 1939 or 1940.
From 1972 to 1974, McKay was Assistant Director of ACT Health Services.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128258289|title=Ringing the changes at Health|first=Kerry|last=Coyle|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=29 September 1985|page=10}}
McKay was Secretary of the New South Wales Department of Health between December 1982 and September 1984, before the Prime Minister Bob Hawke appointed him to head the Australian Government Department of Health.{{cite press release|url=http://pmtranscripts.dpmc.gov.au/browse.php?did=6458|archivedate=27 February 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227015106/http://pmtranscripts.dpmc.gov.au/browse.php?did=6458|author-link=Bob Hawke|first=Robert|last=Hawke|title=Untitled|date=3 September 1984}}{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136914165|title=Professor new head of Foreign Affairs|date=4 September 1984|newspaper=The Canberra Times|page=1}} His Department of Health appointment lasted until July 1987,{{citation|title=CA 17: Department of Health, Central Office|url=http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/SearchOld.asp?Number=CA+17|publisher=National Archives of Australia|accessdate=3 April 2015|archive-date=12 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312203538/https://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/DumpSession.asp?C=Initialise.inc&S=Open%20P_RECORDSEARCH_SERVICE%20SQLSERVER_ODBC&E=[Microsoft][ODBC+Driver+17+for+SQL+Server][SQL+Server]Incorrect+syntax+near+'207.241'.|url-status=dead}} when the Department was merged with the Department of Community Services to become the Department of Community Services and Health. When the merger took place, McKay was offered an Associate Secretary position at the new Department, but McKay refused the offer.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article132150348|title=McKay may be forced to resign without benefits|first=Rod|last=Campbell|date=1 August 1987|page=3|newspaper=The Canberra Times}} His refusal was based on a dispute over the way the new Department was to be structured.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118146920|newspaper=The Canberra Times|first=Rod|last=Campbell|page=3|date=31 July 1987|title=Department acting head quits in structure dispute}}
In October 1987, McKay was appointed to review Worksafe Australia, an Australian government agency tasked with improving health and safety standards in workplaces.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122108109|title=Former head to review Worksafe|date=17 October 1987|newspaper=The Canberra Times|first=Rod|last=Campbell|page=3}} The review was completed in 1988.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101978254|title=Review of Worksafe completed|date=23 February 1988|newspaper=The Canberra Times|page=8}} It was highly critical of the organisation, stating that lack of direction, communications problems and inadequate coordination had led to an overall lack of progress in the organisation's first years of operation.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article101980260|title=Former health chief slams Worksafe|date=4 March 1988|page=1|newspaper=The Canberra Times|first=Rod|last=Campbell}}
In 1994, McKay was involved in an independent review of transport regulation in the ACT, commissioned by the ACT Government Department of Urban Services.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118173930|title=Rego checks may go in new plan|first=Peter|last=Clack|date=25 June 1994|newspaper=The Canberra Times|page=4}}{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118190679|title=Yearly check of cars could go|newspaper=The Canberra Times|date=13 July 1994|first=Crispin|last=Hull|page=3}}
In 2005, McKay led a review into the operation of ambulance services in the Northern Territory.{{cite press release|url=http://www.territorystories.nt.gov.au/bitstream/handle/10070/81739/hendo.07.09.05.ambo_reviewer_appointed_-_TOR.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403001200/http://www.territorystories.nt.gov.au/bitstream/handle/10070/81739/hendo.07.09.05.ambo_reviewer_appointed_-_TOR.pdf|archivedate=3 April 2015|publisher=NT Government|first=Paul|last=Henderson|date=7 September 2005|title=Health expert heads ambo review}}
McKay was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2017 Australia Day Honours.{{Cite web |title=Mr Bernard Vincent McKAY |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1154633 |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=Australian Honours Search Facility}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=Lawrie Willett}}
{{s-ttl|title=Secretary of the Department of Health|years=1984 – 1987}}
{{s-aft|after=Tony Ayers|as=Secretary of the Department of Community Services and Health}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKay, Bernard}}
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Secretaries of the Australian Government Health Department