Tony Cook PSM is the Director-General of the Department of Education. Before joining the department in April 2018, Tony worked for six years in the Australian public service as the Associate Secretary for Schools and Youth within the Department of Education and Training.
Tony has held several senior executive positions in the Victorian public service, including Deputy Secretary, Government and Corporate with the Department of Premier and Cabinet; Deputy Secretary, Office for Children and Portfolio Coordination; and Deputy Secretary, Office for Planning, Strategy and Coordination within the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. He began his career with Education Queensland.
Tony is a registered primary school teacher with a major in early childhood education. He has been a deputy principal and has taught in schools and preschools in Queensland and the United Kingdom. He holds a Bachelor of Education from the Queensland University of Technology.
In October 2013 Tony was made an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Council for Education Leaders, and in January 2014, he was awarded a Public Service Medal for outstanding public service, especially in driving schools policy and funding reform in Australia.
