Samantha Palmer

Samantha Palmer is the General Manager of Austrade’s Visitor Economy and Client Programs Division. She leads the nation’s tourism and broader visitor economy policy and programs. She also oversees strategic reforms to Austrade’s client-centred grants schemes including the Export Market Development Grant program.

Samantha brings 20-plus years of diverse experience in senior executive service roles. She has led policy programs and corporate transformations in the Queensland, WA and Commonwealth governments in numerous areas, including fair trading and consumer protection, environmental protection and national parks, Indigenous and rural health, land transport and road safety, therapeutic goods, housing, disability, child support and communities. She has also run a tourism business and worked in the university and community sectors.

Career highlights include achieving a 79.5% response rate for the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey; leading the development of the 10-year Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan policy framework; and a recent ‘cleanskin’ placement as the inaugural Deputy Director General Governance, Integrity and Reform following Australia’s largest public service corruption incident at the WA Communities Department.

Samantha is a National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA). She was one of the 2013 Australian Financial Review/Westpac 100 Women of Influence, and the 2013 Australian Human Resource Institute Diversity Champion of the Year (HR).

Samantha serves on the National and ACT IPAA Councils. Sam has a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Business (Communication).