 He was then the First Assistant Secretary of the Public Affairs Division from 1994 to 1996.As Head of the White Paper Secretariat from 1996 to 1997, Varghese led the drafting of Australia’s first white paper on foreign and trade policy.He was appointed the First Assistant Secretary of the International Security Division in 1997 and then seconded to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet as First Assistant Secretary of the International Division from 1998 to 1999.