Simon Cotterell is the First Assistant Secretary of the Primary Care Division in the Department of Health. Simon has worked for nearly 30 years in government. Over the last 15 years in Health, Simon has led work on health payments integrity; global and regional health issues; drug, alcohol and tobacco policy; health financing; health security; the blood supply; organ and tissue donation; and a range of other health system issues.
Prior to Health, Simon worked for a decade as a policy adviser in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in various areas of social policy and international relations.
Simon has qualifications in political science and economics, and was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2012 for his work on tobacco plain packaging and tobacco control in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.