Treasury loses tax guru Rob Heferen at height of national debate
Treasury has lost one of the nation's most experienced tax officials just as the government retreats on a package of income tax cuts and other reforms to the system.At a time when the Turnbull government's tax debate has reached a nadir, the department told staff the highly respected Rob Heferen would be leaving his post as head of Treasury's revenue group at a date still to be confirmed. Mr Heferen, whose calm demeanour and command of detail on complex tax issues has made him a standout in Senate estimates hearings, will move to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, where he will focus on energy resources in northern Australia.
Rob Heferen's calm demeanour and command of detail on complex tax issues will be missed. Ryan Stuart
The exit will be seen as a blow for Treasury secretary John Fraser because it robs the department of one of its key thinkers on taxation and an important store of corporate memory for an institution that has undergone substantial staff cuts in recent years. Treasury has come under fire from parts of the government in recent weeks for not having the necessary modelling capacity and expertise to crunch the numbers of a now-jettisoned package of tax changes, with key parts of its work being having been outsourced to private contractors. A replacement for Mr Heferen won't be announced until his departure date is confirmed.
Opposition Treasury spokesman Chris Bowen described Mr Heferen as a highly respected department officer. "He is a loss to the Treasury," Mr Bowen said on Wednesday.
Mr Heferen took over as deputy secretary of Treasury's Revenue Group in March 2011, after working as deputy secretary in the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
He began his public service career in 1989 with the Customs Service before joining the Australian Tax Office in 1994 and then transferring to Treasury in 1997, where he remained until 2010 when he took up the welfare post.
The move was announced in a staff memo late last week, and there is speculation it is at least partially aimed at broadening his public service exposure before moving on to heading his own department. Mr Heferen's departure also comes after former Treasury secretary Martin Parkinson was tapped to head the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, where he is widely seen to be running government's tax development agenda. Expert coverage of Australia’s public sector.