I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Allan Gyngell as Director-General of the Office of National Assessments (ONA). Mr Gyngell's appointment will commence on 13 July.
Mr Gyngell has a distinguished track record both within and outside government in the analysis of international issues.
He was the founding Executive Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, a position he has held since 2003.
In government, his career has included senior positions in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Office of National Assessments and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
He has had diplomatic postings in the United States and in Asia. He served as foreign policy adviser to former Prime Minister Paul Keating between 1993 and 1996.
I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the current Director-General, Mr Peter Varghese, in leading the work of ONA since 2004.
He has been particularly effective in managing the development of ONA's responsibilities, and in implementing the changes to intelligence community machinery in recent years.
Mr Varghese will be taking up a senior diplomatic appointment in the coming months.