By Jacob Shteyman in Canberra

Australia has a new top defence bureaucrat to oversee a dramatic increase in military expenditure.

Meghan Quinn will be the first woman to hold the position of defence secretary in a permanent capacity following the departure of Greg Moriarty, who was selected to be Australia’s next ambassador to the United States of America.

Ms Quinn is an experienced public servant who is currently the secretary of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and has previously held senior roles in Treasury and the prime minister’s department.

“Ms Quinn … is an outstanding public servant who, after an exhaustive process that we went through, was clearly the stand-out candidate,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters on Tuesday.

She takes over from acting secretary Cath Patterson at a time when the Defence department is overseeing a significant shift in strategy and a massive increase in spending.

Defence Minister Richard Marles earlier in April unveiled Australia’s new National Defence Strategy, which takes in an extra $53 billion of funding, including from alternative investment vehicles and the private sector, over the next decade.

Ms Quinn’s appointment is part of a wider shake-up of Australia’s defence leadership.

It comes two weeks after Vice Admiral Mark Hammond was appointed Chief of the Defence Force and the appointment of Lieutenant General Susan Coyle as the first female Chief of Army and Rear Admiral Matthew Buckley as Chief of Navy.

“Ms Quinn will make history as the first woman to substantively lead the Department of Defence, and I know that alongside our recently announced leadership changes within the Australian Defence Force, she will bring a wealth of experience in this role,” Mr Marles said.

Her five-year term will begin on May 18.

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