Defence secretary, former Turnbull aide to become next Australian ambassador to US

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s choice of Defence department secretary Greg Moriarty as the next Australian ambassador to the United States has been praised across the partisan divide as a solid choice to replace outgoing ambassador Kevin Rudd in the key diplomatic posting.

Albanese announced Moriarty’s appointment on Sunday morning, describing him as a dignified and “outstanding Australian public servant”.

Speculation about the next ambassador has been rife since Rudd this month made a surprise decision to step down from the prestigious role a year ahead of schedule. In recent years, the plum diplomatic postings to the United States and United Kingdom have usually been handed to former politicians from the party in power, as opposed to career diplomats or former bureaucrats.

But Moriarty’s appointment signals the government wanted to make a safe choice who could deal with the Trump administration in a turbulent era for global affairs. Moriarty was a chief of staff to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull before serving as defence head from 2017, a role in which he has overseen the introduction of the AUKUS submarine pact.

“He is, I think, an outstanding Australian public servant,” Albanese said on the ABC’s Insiders program.

“He served as an ambassador to Iran and to Indonesia. He’s played a role in Papua New Guinea as well. He was appointed the first counter-terrorism tsar.

“He’s been a former chief of staff to a Liberal prime minister. He has served both Labor and Coalition governments. He’s been of the secretary of the Department of Defence and the AUKUS deal is central to our relationship with the US. And he’s in a very strong position to be on top of all of that detail.”

As a public servant, Moriarty does not have a social media presence. Rudd’s former social media posts criticising US President Donald Trump raised issues.

Turnbull this month backed Moriarty as a candidate. “He is an experienced official and former ambassador who has developed relationships with all the key players in the US national security establishment,” Turnbull told this masthead. “He would be able to hit the ground running in a way others could not.”

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash described Moriarty as a “safe pair of hands” to take over the role.

“He has served Australia in a distinguished career spanning diplomatic appointments and key roles in Australia’s defence and intelligence communities,” they said.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison said Moriarty was highly regarded in the United States and would do an outstanding job.

“Having worked with Mr Moriarty in many roles from his time as ambassador to Indonesia when we were implementing Operation Sovereign Borders through to the conception and establishment of AUKUS in his current role as secretary of Defence, he has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of professionalism, dedication and integrity in the service and love of his country,” Morrison said.

Greens defence spokesman David Shoebridge, by contrast, accused Moriarty of “failing upwards” after overseeing “procurement disasters and scandals”, including the behind schedule and over budget Hunter-class frigate program.

Albanese said the Trump administration had been consulted on the appointment and that Rudd would finish his tenure on March 31.

“He [Rudd] can look back with real pride on taking AUKUS from an idea in to a reality. Also the critical minerals deals, the deals on superannuation investment in the US. And building real, strong links at a leadership level between Australia and the US,” Albanese said.

Michael Fullilove, the executive director of the Lowy Institute think tank, said: “Greg Moriarty is an excellent choice to serve as Australia’s next Ambassador to the United States.

“He’s highly experienced, tough and smart, with a dry sense of humour that will help keep him sane in Donald Trump’s Washington.”

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.