Dr Steven Kennedy is Australia’s nineteenth Secretary to the Treasury and the first to have worked as a registered nurse, later beginning professional training in psychiatric nursing. Shane Wright, the senior economics correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, spoke with Dr Kennedy about his intriguing workplace background in the context of the public service, economics, the pandemic’s impact on mental health and more.

STEVEN: I grew up in Murwillumbah on the north coast of New South Wales, and when it came time to leave school I was really interested in moving to a large city. Brisbane was a bit close; Sydney looked more interesting. I wasn’t sure at all what I wanted to do – I think my mother suggested nursing because in those days you got paid as you trained. I started in February 1984, trained for three years and became a registered general nurse. It was an opportunity for me to be the first person in my immediate family to go to university.