Greg Moriarty

Greg Moriarty
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of Western Australia (BA (Hons)) Australian National University (Master's degree)[1]
Occupation	Diplomat, public servant, political adviser

Greg Moriarty is a senior Australian public servant and diplomat. He was Australian Ambassador to Iran from 2005 to 2008 and Australian Ambassador to Indonesia from 2010 to 2014. He was Australia's first anti-terrorism coordinator from 2015 to 2016, before taking up a position as the Prime Minister's foreign affairs adviser.

Career

Prior to taking up his first ambassadorial role as Australian Ambassador to Iran in March 2005, Moriarty worked in various positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including as head of the Maritime South East Asia Branch.^[2]

As Ambassador to Iran, he resided in Tehran from 2005 to 2008.^[3] While in the role, Moriarty travelled to Washington to brief then US President George Bush on Iranian politics, becoming one of a small number of Australian diplomats ever to have briefed an American president.^[4]

His nomination by the Australian Government as Australian Ambassador to Indonesia was announced in July 2010.^[5] He arrived in Indonesia in late October, immediately prior to the Mount Merapi eruptions and the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami.^[6]

Whilst Moriaty was Ambassador to Indonesia, the Australian Government escalated its border protection policy. The Indonesian Government opposed Australia's boat turnback policy.^[7] During the appointment, Moriarty recommended that Australians take the time to learn more about Indonesia to set the two nations up for a great strategic partnership that would help Australian businesses to prosper.^[8][9]

In May 2015, the Australian Government announced Moriarty's appointment as coordinator of national counter terrorism.^[10] In the role, Moriarty did not have authority to direct the operations of any particular agency, instead being granted authority "across agencies" to enhance cooperation between Australian intelligence and security agencies.^[11][12] His role was intended to focus primarily on preventing domestic terror threats.^[13] Soon after he began in the role, Moriarty told media that he was "stunned" by the depth and extent of the problem.^[14] After the terrorist attacks in Nice, Moriarty was authorised to examine the full range of people of interest who security agencies are investigating for counter-terrorism purposes, to identify vulnerable persons with mental health concerns or patterns of criminal behavior, and examine measures needed to prevent the radicalisation of such people.^[15]

In September 2016, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appointed Moriarty his personal foreign affairs adviser.^[16]

References

1. "Moriarty nominated as Indonesian Ambassador". UWA News. University of Western Australia. 4 August 2010.
2. Downer, Alexander (4 March 2005). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Iran" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
3. Smith, Stephen (30 June 2008). "Diplomatic Appointment – Ambassador to Iran" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
4. Sheridan, Greg (12 July 2010). "Greg Moriarty the best man possible for Indonesia envoy". The Australian. News Corp.
5. Smith, Stephen (11 July 2010). "Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Indonesia" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015.
6. Sertori, Trisha (25 January 2011). "Greg Moriarty: Time to bind ties more deeply". The Jakarta Post.
7. Wroe, David; Flitton, Daniel (14 February 2014). "Indonesia calls in Australian ambassador Greg Moriarty to protest against 'unacceptable' escalation of boat policy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 8 June 2014.
8. Berrill, Jaime (17 May 2012). "Ambassador Greg Moriarty launches Asialink's State of the Nation series". University of Melbourne. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016.
9. Cai, Peter (18 May 2012). "Warning on Indonesia's rising economic nationalism". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016.
10. Grattan, Michelle (24 May 2015). "Former diplomat to co-ordinate counter terrorism". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016.
11. Bennett, James (25 May 2015). "Former ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty named as new anti-terror coordinator". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016.
12. "Australia appoints Greg Moriarty as anti-terrorism chief". The Strait Times. Singapore Press Holdings. 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015.
13. Coorey, Phillip (25 May 2015). "Tony Abbott appoints Greg Moriarty terror tsar". Australian Financial Review. Fairfax Media.
14. Benson, Simon (10 June 2015). "Terrorism threat could shadow Australia for decades, country's first national security chief says". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp.
15. Nicholson, Brendan (22 July 2016). "Counter-terrorism tsar Greg Moriarty to look for 'lone wolves': PM". The Australian. News Corp.
16. Sheridan, Greg (1 September 2016). "Greg Moriarty's role with Turnbull 'will be widely welcomed'". The Australian. News Corp. Retrieved 30 October 2016.