Albanese takes safe course, appointing defence chief Greg Moriarty to replace Kevin Rudd
- Written by: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has appointed the Secretary of the Defence Department, Greg Moriarty, to be Australia’s new ambassador to Washington, succeeding Kevin Rudd, who leaves the position in March.
The highly-respected senior bureaucrat is a safe choice, and his defence background gives him special qualifications for the post when the further development of AUKUS will be a major preoccupation in coming years.
Moriarty will not be surrounded by any of the controversy that came with the appointment and tenure of Rudd, who had vehemently attacked US President Donald Trump in the years before becoming ambassador. In an embarrassing moment when Albanese had his first formal meeting with Trump last year, the president said to Rudd, “I don’t like you either, and I probably never will”.
Both sides of politics have tended to choose political appointments for the Washington post. Although there was some speculation Albanese might name a Labor figure as next ambassador, it always seemed likely he would opt for a more cautious choice this time around.
Albanese told the ABC while the appointment was his to make, he had discussed widely as to who was the appropriate person. The Trump administration had also been consulted.
Moriarty, 61, has headed the defence department since 2017, appointed under the Coalition government.
He served in the headquarters of the United States Central Command in the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
In a career extending across defence and diplomacy, he was ambassador to Indonesia in 2010-14 and ambassador to Iran in 2005-08.
Earlier he served in Papua New Guinea and as Senior Negotiator of the Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville.
In 2015 he was appointed Australia’s first Counter Terrorismn Coordinator in the Prime Minister’s department .
He is well regarded by both sides of politics, and was international and national security advisor and then chief of staff to Malcolm Turnbull when Turnbull was prime minister.
The departure of Moriarty also gives the government more opportunity to shake up the top layers of the defence establishment, which it has begun to do.
The opposition welcomed the appointment.
In a statement opposition leader Sussan Ley and foreign affair spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said: “The Liberal Party has always stood for a strong alliance with the United States and Mr Moriarty has a proven track record of advancing Australia’s national interest under both Labor and Liberal governments.
"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.”
Turnbull and former ambassador to Washington Arthur Sinodinos also praised the choice of Moriarty.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit Australia and address federal parliament in March, Albanese said on Sunday.
Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos Carney made an splash with a speech in which he declared the international rules-based order was undergoing a “rupture, not a transition”. He said middle powers “must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu”.
Asked about Carney’s comments Albanese told the ABC: “I agree with him and it’s consistent with what I said at the United Nations and with our engagement as well with middle powers”.
