Derek Volker, AO (born 1939) is a retired senior Australian public servant.

Born in 1939,^[1] Volker was educated at Toowoomba State High School and the University of Queensland.^[2]

Volker's early Australian Public Service career was in the Department of Labour and the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs.^[3]

Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser appointed Volker as Secretary of the Department of Veterans' Affairs in 1981, with the mandate to clean up the administration of the department.^[4]

In 1986, Prime Minister Bob Hawke transferred Volker to a position as Secretary the Department of Social Security (DSS).^[3] In his time at DSS, Volker had to deal with the pressures of the recession and its impact on Social Security offices, including long queues and increasing tension.^[5]

Prime Minister Paul Keating announced Volker's transfer from the Department of Social Security to the Department of Employment, Education and Training in March 1993.^[6]

In 1996, Volker was one of six Secretaries removed from their roles by the newly elected Howard government.^[7] Political scientist Richard Mulgan speculates that Volker's removal was a result of Prime Minister John Howard's "determination to impose a new sense of direction" on the public service".^[8]

After leaving the Australian Public Service, Volker stayed in the workforce and took on various senior roles in both government and non-government organisations, including as Chairman at the Government Relations Group in the national law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth,^[9] Chair of the ACT Government's Skills Commission,^[10] and Chairman of the Defence Housing Australia Board of Directors.^[9]

In January 1991, Volker was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for public service.^[11]