Robyn Kruk
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Robyn Kruk AM |
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|---|---|
| Secretary of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts | |
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In office March 2009 – 14 September 2010 |
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| Personal details | |
| Nationality |
 Australian |
| Alma mater | University of New South Wales |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Robyn Kruk AM (/ˈkrʌk/) is a retired senior Australian public servant and policymaker.
Kruk graduated from the University of New South Wales in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (Honours).
Kruk began her career in the NSW public sector in 1980. In 1994 she was appointed Director-General of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and in 2002 was appointed Director-General of the NSW Department of Health. She was in the role at the time of the Camden-Campbelltown hospital crisis, when whistleblower nurses made accusations that 19 deaths at the hospitals could have been avoided. In response to the crisis, Kruk convened a futures forum for top health administrators to start planning NSW health policy for the next 20 years. Kruk argued that the crisis drove a whole range of changes in the NSW health system.
At the end of her NSW public sector career she was Director-General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. When Kruk left her top position in the Premier's department in 2008, the media reported that she told Premier Nathan Rees she no longer had the energy and commitment to continue. Shortly after, media stated that Kruk may have been concerned at excessive union influence and at the prominence of the NSW Finance Minister Joe Tripodi in mini-budget discussions.
In early 2009 she was appointed Secretary of the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. During her time at the department, she oversaw the Energy Efficient Homes Package, a program beset by controversy after four workers died in separate accidents linked to program installations and house fires caused by insulation fitted poorly under the scheme. From September 2010, Kruk was suffering from cancer, and took extended sick leave from the role, with Paul Grimes acting in her position.
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