'Safe hands': Opposition backs Albanese's US ambassador pick
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The news: The federal opposition has welcomed the Albanese government's selection of Greg Moriarty as new ambassador to the United States.
The context: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced on Sunday that Moriarty would be recommended to the governor-general as the successor to Kevin Rudd in the role.
Moriarty has been secretary for the Department of Defence since 2017 and is a former ambassador to Indonesia and Iran. He previously served in Papua New Guinea and worked as senior negotiator of the Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville. He was headquartered in the US Central Command in the Persian Gold during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
He is a former chief of staff to then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, was appointed Australia’s inaugural counter terrorism coordinator in 2015 and has been involved in the development and implementation of AUKUS.
What they 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,” Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said in a statement.
“He has served Australia in a distinguished career spanning diplomatic appointments and key roles in Australia’s defence and intelligence communities,” they 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.”
The sources: Opposition media release, Government media release
