Andrew Robertson (doctor)

Andrew Geoffrey Robertson CSC PSM
Chief Health Officer
Incumbent
Assumed office June 2018
Preceded by	Tarun Weeramanthri
Personal details
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of Sydney, Curtin University
Awards	Conspicuous Service Cross, Public Service Medal

Andrew Geoffrey Robertson CSC PSM is an Australian public health doctor, public servant and Chief Health Officer of Western Australia since May 2019.

Career

Robertson served for the Royal Australian Navy from 1984 to 2003. During this time, he took part in three tours to Iraq as a Biological Weapons Chief Inspector for the United Nations Special Commission. Since then, he has been in the Navy's reserves, taking on the position of Director General Navy Health Reserves between July 2015 and December 2019.[1][2]

He first joined the Western Australia Department of Health in October 2003, where he was in the position of Director, Disaster Preparedness and Management. In this role, he led an Australian medical team in the Maldives after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, managed WA's response to the 2005 Bali bombings, led a WA Health team into Indonesia after the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake and worked as a radiation health adviser to the Australian Embassy after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.[1][2]

Robertson was Deputy Chief Health Officer for Western Australia from 2008 to May 2018. In June 2018, he was appointed Acting Chief Health Officer, after Tarun Weeramanthri went on leave. Weeramanthri formally resigned on 20 October 2018, and Robertson continued as acting Chief Health Officer until May 2019, when he was promoted to Chief Health Officer, alongside gaining the position of assistant director general of public and aboriginal health.[1][2][3]

Robertson was a prominent person in Western Australia's COVID-19 response, doing daily press conferences alongside Health Minister Roger Cook and Premier Mark McGowan.[1]

Awards and honours

• Conspicuous Service Cross, 1999, "for outstanding achievement in the field of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence while serving with the Office of the Surgeon General."[4]
• Public Service Medal in the 2013 Australia Day Honours, "for outstanding public service as Director, Disaster Management and Preparedness within WA Health."[5][6]

References

1. "Dr Andy Robertson". Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
2. "Andrew Robertson". Business News. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
3. "WA Chief Health Officer to stand down". Media Statements. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
4. "Order of Australia - Queen's Birthday 1999 (QB99) - Gazette S214.pdf" (PDF). The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
5. Burge, Karen (18 February 2013). "Top doctors honoured". Medical Journal of Australia. 198 (3). Retrieved 17 October 2020.
6. "Australia Day honours". Australian Medical Association. Retrieved 17 October 2020.

Government offices
Preceded by Tarun Weeramanthri	Chief Health Officer 2018–present	Incumbent