David Borthwick (public servant)

David Borthwick AO
Secretary of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
In office 3 December 2007 – January 2009
Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Water Resources
In office 30 January 2007 – 3 December 2007
Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Heritage
In office February 2004 – 30 January 2007
Personal details
Born	David William Borthwick
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	Monash University (BEc)
Occupation	Public servant

David William Borthwick AO is a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker.

Borthwick was the son of Bill Borthwick, former Liberal Deputy Premier of Victoria. Borthwick attended Monash University, gaining a Bachelor of Economics with First Class Honours.

Borthwick moved to Canberra in 1973 to join the Australian Public Service as a graduate in the Department of the Treasury.

He was appointed Secretary of the Department of the Environment and Heritage in 2004, remaining the Environment Secretary through two departmental transitions, first to the Department of the Environment and Water Resources and later to the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

Borthwick retired from the public service in January 2009. He delivered his valedictory speech at the Australian War Memorial, telling his audience that public service agencies of the day were "so flat out, so stretched" they had "scant capacity to invest in serious thinking."

In June 2009 Borthwick was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to the development of environmental policy, particularly in relation to climate change, water allocation, emissions trading and heritage issues.

Borthwick had previously been awarded a Public Service Medal in June 2002.

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