Our People

Mark Burford
Principal

Mark Burford is a Principal in The Nous Group’s Strategy and Public Policy practice. Mark has over twenty years experience advising and solving complex policy problems for governments in many areas of public policy. He has worked at senior levels for State and Commonwealth governments on a diverse range of issues – including in recent years water resource policy and climate change, skilled migration and population policy, housing affordability, vocational education and training, school and tertiary education reform, economic policy and public sector management.

Most recently Mark was senior adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, with a special focus on vocational education, higher education and intergovernmental reform. In that role he was instrumental in establishing the Review of Australian Higher Education (Bradley Review), setting up Skills Australia and the development of the COAG Productivity Agenda Working Group vocational education reform agenda. Mark’s advisory role with the Deputy Prime Minister was time-limited by mutual agreement and he has now returned to consulting.

Water Reform - In 2006 and 2007 Mark held the post of Executive Director in the Office of Water in the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment. There he was responsible for the Government’s 2007 water policy Our Water Our Future The Next Stage of the Government’s Water Plan that set out policy for desalination, an inter-connected water grid, recycling and irrigation modernisation for the State. While in the Office of Water Mark led work on water industry governance reform, water recycling, water conservation programs and urban water reform. He also represented Victoria on national water reform, working with the Murray Darling Basin Commission and the National Water Commission.

Policy and Strategy for the Victorian Premier and Cabinet - Between 2003 and 2006 Mark was Executive Director in the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet. There he established the Policy and Strategy Projects Group and led work on Commonwealth/State relations and national economic reform leading to the National Reform Initiative articulated by the Victorian Premier. He also set up the Government’s Implementation Unit track to progress of policy achievements. During this time Mark had a wide-ranging brief to advise the Premier and Cabinet on strategy.

During an earlier period in government (1987 – 1996) Mark worked on education, health and information and communications policy for the Cain/Kirner and Kennett governments in Victoria and in the Commonwealth.

Earlier in his career Mark worked in labour market program management for the NSW government and as a ministerial adviser to the Ministers for Education and Veterans Affairs in the Hawke Government. Mark has a Master of Commerce in Economics, University of New South Wales, Australia. Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Politics, Flinders University, South Australia.

Between his stints in the Kennett and Bracks governments Mark ran his own public policy consulting firm and a property development business, Contemporary Green Design concentrating on environmentally sustainable development. In addition to the management of a $15 million private property portfolio this business developed a Banksia Award winning inner city unit development that set new trends in energy and water efficiency and sustainable design.

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