Elizabeth Cosson

Elizabeth Cosson
AM, CSC[1][2]
Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs
In office
19 May 2018[3] – 23 January 2023[4]
Preceded bySimon Lewis
Succeeded byAlison Frame
Deputy Secretary (Chief Operating Officer) of the Department of Veterans' Affairs
In office
9 May 2016[5][6][7] – 18 May 2018[8]
Preceded byShane Carmody[9]
Succeeded byMark Cormack[10]
Deputy Secretary (Chief Operating Officer) of the Department of Health
In office
1 July 2015 – 6 May 2016
Succeeded byAlison Larkins
Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health
In office
December 2014[11] – 30 June 2015
Preceded byAndrew Stuart
Deputy Secretary
(Business Services Group) of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection
In office
12 December 2012 – November 2014
Deputy Secretary
(Business Services Group) of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship
In office
19 November 2012 – 11 December 2012
Preceded byJackie Wilson
First Assistant Secretary (Client and Commemorations) of the Department of Veterans' Affairs
In office
March 2012 – November 2012
Succeeded byDavid Chalmers
General Manager (Executive Division) of the Department of Veterans' Affairs
In office
2 November 2010 – March 2012
Preceded byGary Collins
Personal details
Born1958 (age 65–66)[12]
Melbourne, Victoria[13]
SpouseJames Baker
Parents
  • John George Cosson (father)
  • Joyce Emily Cosson (née Hawken)[14] (mother)
OccupationPublic official
Known forKovco leak scandal (2006)[15]
First female Major General in Australian Army (2007).
Salary$720,480+[16]
Military service
AllegianceAustralia
Branch/serviceAustralian Army
Years of service1979–2010[17]
RankMajor General[18]
AwardsMember of the Order of Australia
Conspicuous Service Cross

Major General Elizabeth Cosson, AM, CSC (born 1958) served as Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs from 2018-2023.[19] Cosson "vowed" to resign as Secretary of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, on 19 July 2020, if she cannot improve the department’s relationship with veterans stating in a media interview on 19 July 2019 that "if I’m still part of the problem in 12 months I will hand over [the job]."[20]

Between 1979 and 2010, Cosson served 31 years in the Australian Army as an officer, commencing with officer training in the Women's Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC) on 22 February 1979 (when she was 20 years old) at Georges Heights (WRAAC OCS 28/79 – the first WRAAC Officer course to have a similar syllabus and training duration during as the male officer cadets had, and coming only a year after servicewomen first received the right to equal pay).[21] In 1983 she was transferred to the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps, as the WRAACs disbanded.

In 2017, Cosson became the first female major general in the Australian Army (but not the first female two star Australian Defence Force officer, as Air Vice Marshal Julie Hammer achieved this milestone in 2003).

While Cosson is most well known for her part in the Kovco scandal (due to the extensive media coverage it generated), it has not harmed her career in any lasting way, and not only did she go on to get promoted (despite the 12 month formal administrative warning she received), but she has since held a number of senior executive service appointments at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (later re-named the Department of Immigration and Border Protection), and the Department of Health.

  1. ^ "Member of the Order of Australia (AM) entry for MAJGEN Cosson, Elizabeth (Army)". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 January 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2020. For exceptional service to the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Organisation as Director General Regions and Bases and as Head Defence Support Operations.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  2. ^ "Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC) entry for LTCOL Cosson, Elizabeth (Army)". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 January 2001. Retrieved 26 May 2020. For outstanding achievement as the Chief of Staff, Peace Monitoring Group, Bougainville, and in logistic planning and management of the Combat Force as the Staff Officer Grade One Logistics, Land Headquarters.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  3. ^ "Repatriation Commission Annual Report 2017-18". Annual Reports 2017–18 (PDF). Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. 2018. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-6482602-2-6. Cosson was appointed Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA)... on 19 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Appointment of new Secretary". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Commonwealth of Australia. 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2023..
  5. ^ "Introduction". Ex-Service Organisation (ESO) Mapping Project (PDF). Canberra, Australia: Aspen Foundation. 2016. p. 6. Membership of the Steering Committee... Major General Liz Cosson AM Cosson AM, CSC (Ret'd) — until 9 May 2016 when appointed to Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer DVA.
  6. ^ "Overview". Annual Reports 2017–18 (PDF). Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. 2016. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-9944775-4-5. [Simon Lewis] ...welcome back Liz Cosson who has assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer.
  7. ^ Andrew Bowles (6 May 2016). "Community Affairs Legislation Committee Estimates" (PDF). Official Committee Hansard. Commonwealth of Australia: Senate. p. 100. Today will be the last appearance of Ms Liz Cosson for the department. She is moving to the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
  8. ^ "Repatriation Commission Annual Report 2017-18". Annual Reports 2017–18 (PDF). Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. 2018. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-6482602-2-6. Cosson was appointed Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA)... on 19 May 2018.
  9. ^ "Overview". Annual Reports 2015-16 (PDF). Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. 2016. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-9944775-4-5. [Simon Lewis] I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Shane Carmody, former Chief Operating Officer, for his contribution over the past seven years, and welcome back Liz Cosson who has assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer.
  10. ^ Refer:
    • Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Inc., ed. (August 2018). "New DVA Chief Operating Officer appointed" (PDF). Debrief. Minto, New South Wales: Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia Inc. p. 8. Retrieved 28 May 2020. Mark Cormack joined DVA as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Secretary on 31 May 2018. Mr Cormack was most recently at the Department of Health, where he was Deputy Secretary, Health Financing. He'd worked previously as a Deputy Secretary in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Chief Executive Officer of Health Workforce Australia and Chief Executive, ACT Health.
    • "Overview". Annual Reports 2017–18 (PDF). Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. 2018. pp. 6, 9. ISBN 978-0-6482602-2-6. Chief Operating Officer's Report... Mark Cormack Deputy Secretary, Chief Operating Officer Department of Veterans' Affairs.
  11. ^ Refer:
  12. ^ "Elizabeth Cosson AM CSC". National Portrait Gallery. Commonwealth of Australia. 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2020. Elizabeth Cosson AM CSC (b.1958).
  13. ^ Smiles, Sarah (13 November 2007). "General Liz shoots through glass ceiling". The Age. Retrieved 26 May 2020. General Cosson, who was born in Melbourne.
  14. ^ Refer:
    • "Joyce EMILY Cosson (nee Hawken)". Obituaries by heaven address. Retrieved 28 May 2020. Joyce EMILY Cosson (nee HAWKEN) Passed away on 16 June 2015 Aged 82 years Very much loved wife of John for 59 years. Loved mother and mother-in-law of Liz and James and John and Greta. Cherished grandma of Ben, Matthew, Emily, Laura and Sarah. Adored daughter of Herbert and Sarah (both dec) and sister of Ron and Les (both dec) and Jean.
  15. ^ Refer:
    • For notoriety it gave Cosson "Elizabeth Cosson (1 January 2006 – 27 May 2020)". Google Trends. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
    • For the incident Minister for Defence (22 May 2016). "Questions without notice: Private Jacob (Jake) Kovco" (PDF). Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Commonwealth of Australia: House of Representatives. p. 33. As the House would be well aware, the Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, appointed Brigadier Elizabeth Cosson, who was supported by Professor Donald Sheldon, to prepare a report into the circumstances of the unacceptable and erroneous repatriation of Private Kovco's body to Australia. Late on Monday night last week, just after 10 o'clock, the Chief of the Defence Force phoned me to inform me that Brigadier Cosson had apparently lost the disk which contained the draft report into this unacceptable incident. I was advised that it had been thought to be lost either at the Qantas lounge in Melbourne or, alternatively, in a taxi.
  16. ^ Refer:
  17. ^ "Elizabeth Cosson AM CSC". National Portrait Gallery. Commonwealth of Australia. 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2020. Elizabeth Cosson AM CSC (b.1958) enlisted in the Australian Army in 1979... [and] retired from full-time military service in November 2010.
  18. ^ "Elizabeth Cosson AM CSC". National Portrait Gallery. Commonwealth of Australia. 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2020. Major General Elizabeth Cosson retired from full-time military service in November 2010.
  19. ^ Refer:
    • For date of birth "Elizabeth COSSON". Women’s Museum of Australia and Old Gaol Alice Springs. Elizabeth Cosson Born:1958... Cosson retired from full-time military service in November 2010.
    • For current status as Secretary DVA "The Secretary". Department of Veteran’s Affairs. Commonwealth of Australia. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020. On 19 May 2018, Liz Cosson AM CSC was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
    • For change of career to senior public servant "Repatriation Commission Annual Report 18-19". Annual Reports 18–19 (PDF). Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia. 2019. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-6486611-1-5. In 2010, when Liz first joined the Australian Public Service.
  20. ^ Burgess, Katie (19 July 2019). "Veterans' Affairs chief promises change within the next year". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 28 May 2020. The head of the Department of Veterans' Affairs has vowed to walk away from the job if she can't improve ex-defence personnel's experiences with the beleaguered agency within the next year. Liz Cosson has also promised to change the adversarial culture of the agency, which has been under fire for the bureaucratic and ruthless way it has dealt with veterans for many years... She hit out at negative media coverage... [saying] "if I'm still part of the problem in 12 months I will hand over [the job]."
  21. ^ Refer:
    • Constantine, Genevieve, ed. (2011). "WRAAC 60th Anniversary Reunion, Sydney 11 – 13 February 2011". Camdus The Journal of Australian Defence Force Dentistry. Vol. 30. Ferntree Gully, Victoria, Australia: Adbourne Publishing. p. 54. ISSN 1834-0601. Retrieved 26 May 2020. The guest speaker was MAJGEN Liz Cosson, CSC (Ret'd) who had graduated as a WRAAC officer before being allocated to RAAOC.
    • "Elizabeth Cosson AM CSC". National Portrait Gallery. Commonwealth of Australia. 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2020. Elizabeth Cosson AM CSC (b.1958) enlisted in the Australian Army in 1979... Selected with 32 other women for the first male-equivalent officer training course, these officer-cadets were segregated from men... After 31 years of service in a range of appointments in Australia and overseas, Major General Cosson retired from full-time military service in November 2010.
    • Toohey, Paul (23 June 2013). "Meet the man behind Lieutenant General David Morrison". News.com.au. Retrieved 26 May 2020. When Cosson joined the army, she went to a women's – only military college (now all training is integrated) and says opportunities were limited. Women were stereotyped as capable of little more than administrative duties.
    • Smiles, Sarah (13 November 2007). "General Liz shoots through glass ceiling". The Age. Retrieved 26 May 2020. When Liz Cosson joined the army as a 20-year-old in 1979, female officers had just been allowed to take weapons training.
    • Hepworth, Merrie (2016). Ryan, Mike (ed.). "WRAAC 65th celebration of the formation of the Corps" (PDF). The Duntroon Society. No. 2. p. 10. Retrieved 26 May 2020. Official Guests were Major General Liz Cosson, AM, CSC (Retd) (WRAAC OCS 28/79), now Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the Department of Veterans' Affairs.