Defense Secretary Greg Moriarty will become Australia’s next ambassador to the United States, replacing outgoing Ambassador Kevin Rudd in a key diplomatic posting.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Moriarty’s appointment on Sunday morning, calling him a respected and “outstanding Australian public servant”.
Speculation about the next ambassador has continued this month since Rudd’s surprise decision to step down from the coveted role a year ahead of schedule. In recent years, diplomatic postings to the United States and Great Britain have generally been handed over to ex-party politicians as opposed to career diplomats or ex-bureaucrats.
But Moriarty’s appointment signals that the administration wanted a safe choice to deal with the Trump administration in a tumultuous period for global affairs. Moriarty was chief of staff to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull before serving as defense chief from 2017, in which he oversaw the introduction of the Aux submarine agreement.
“An outstanding Australian public servant, I think,” the Albanian said on the ABC. internal Program
“He served as ambassador to Iran and Indonesia. He also played a role in Papua New Guinea. He was previously appointed counter-terrorism czar.
“He’s a former chief of staff to a Liberal prime minister. He’s served both Labor and Coalition governments. He’s been under secretary of defense and the ACOES deal is central to our relationship with the US. And he’s in a very strong position to work through all that detail.”
As a public servant, Moriarty does not have a social media presence. Rudd’s previous social media posts criticized US President Donald Trump.
Turnbull endorsed Moriarty as a candidate this month. “He is an experienced official and former ambassador who has developed relationships with all the key players in the US national security establishment,” Turnbull said. “He would be able to hit the ground running in a way that others couldn’t.”
Albanyi said the Trump administration had been consulted on the appointment and that Rudd would finish his term on March 31.
“That [Rudd] Oaks can look back on taking it from an idea to reality with real pride. In addition to major mineral deals, deals in the US. And build real strong links between Australia and the US at the leadership level.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Users can sign up for our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
Natasia Chrysanthos is a federal political representative. He has previously reported on immigration, health, social issues and the NDI from Parliament House in Canberra.Contact via Twitter or E-mail
