Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles is keeping mum about who will next lead his department. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
The Federal Government appears in no hurry to name a replacement for Greg Moriarty as secretary of the Department of Defence.
Mr Moriarty has been appointed as the next Australian Ambassador to the United States and will take up the role on 1 April, replacing outgoing ambassador and former prime minister Kevin Rudd.
Defence Minister Richard Marles, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said Mr Moriarty’s replacement at the helm of the Defence Department would be made known “in the fullness of time”.
Describing Mr Moriarty as having made an “exceptional contribution” to the nation, Mr Marles indicated he was not rushing to name a successor.
“I’m not going to put a timeframe on it,” he said on Wednesday (4 February).
“Greg has been an incredible servant of the nation as the secretary of Defence and I’m deeply indebted to all the work that he has done, hugely grateful.”
Speculation is mounting as to who might be Mr Moriarty’s replacement, with the government almost spoilt for choice among the top echelons of public sector and diplomatic ranks.
It is widely considered that Mr Moriarty leaves big shoes to fill.
He was chosen for the ambassador role ahead of other contenders, including former Labor ministers Joel Fitzgibbon, Stephen Conroy and Greg Combet.
He is the first non-political appointment to Washington in some years, with the most recent previous ambassadors being former ministers from both sides of politics – depending on which party was in office at the time of each appointment.
Labor’s Dr Rudd and Kim Beazley have bookended the Coalitions’ Arthur Sinodinos and Joe Hockey as recent former Australians ambassadors.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Mr Moriarty’s appointment last month and described him as “an outstanding Australian public servant”.
“He served as an ambassador to Iran and to Indonesia. He’s played a role in Papua New Guinea as well,” Mr Albanese said during an interview on ABC’s Insiders.
“He has served both Labor and Coalition governments and he’s been secretary of the Department of Defence, and of course the AUKUS relationship is central to our relationship with the United States.
“And he’s in a very strong position to be on top of all of that detail.”
Defence secretary Greg Moriarty has been appointed as the next Ambassador the United States. Photo: Region.
Mr Moriarty, 61, took over as Defence secretary in September 2017.
He had previously briefly served as the chief of staff to prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Between May 2015 to April 2017, Mr Moriarty was the Commonwealth Counter-Terrorism Coordinator.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley welcomed the appointment, saying the newly-named ambassador had a “proven track record of advancing Australia’s national interest” under both Labor and Liberal governments.
“He has served Australia in a distinguished career spanning diplomatic appointments and key roles in Australia’s defence and intelligence communities,” she said.
“In this period of global uncertainty, a strong alliance with the United States of America is more important than ever.
“Mr Moriarty is a safe pair of hands to advance Australia’s interest, build this relationship and ensure AUKUS reaches its full potential.”
Ambassador Rudd said he was “delighted” that Mr Moriarty was appointed to replace him.
“Greg has worked on alliance relations with the US for decades,” Dr Rudd said in a statement.
“He is deeply familiar with AUKUS and will be a critical leader in driving AUKUS to implementation. He is also an experienced diplomat.”
