I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Greg Moriarty as Secretary of the Department of Defence.
Mr Moriarty brings a considerable range and depth of experience to the role and I congratulate him on his appointment.
He first worked in the Department of Defence from 1986-95, primarily in the Defence Intelligence Organisation. He also served in the Headquarters of the United States Central Command in the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
As an officer in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Greg Moriarty served in a number of senior roles, including Senior Negotiator with the Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville, Ambassador to Iran, Ambassador to Indonesia and as a Deputy Secretary of the Department.
Mr Moriarty became the first Commonwealth Counter-Terrorism Coordinator in June 2015, responsible for coordinating and implementing Australia’s counter-terrorism arrangements.
In August 2016, he joined my office as International and National Security Adviser and later became my Chief of Staff.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honours from the University of Western Australia and a Masters Degree in Strategic Defence Studies from the Australian National University.
I thank Mr Moriarty for his outstanding work in my office in which he demonstrated his leadership and strategic understanding as he has done throughout his career.
I also thank Brendan Sargeant for his dedicated service while acting in the role of Secretary of the Department of Defence.
Mr Moriarty’s appointment is for 5 years commencing on 4 September 2017.
At that time, Peter Woolcott AO will commence as my Chief of Staff.
Since February 2016, Mr Woolcott has served as Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand. His previous roles include Ambassador for the Environment (2014-16) Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and Ambassador for Disarmament (2010-2014), Ambassador for People Smuggling Issues (2009), Ambassador to Italy (2004 -2007).
From 2002-2004, Peter Woolcott worked as Chief of Staff to the then Foreign Affairs Minister.
Mr Woolcott’s extensive experience and expertise make him highly qualified for his new role, and I very much look forward to working with him.