2021-22 pay: Total remuneration $942,727; base salary $810,364
Department: Defence
Qualifications: ANU (Master of Strategic and Defence Studies), University of Western Australia (Bachelor of Arts)
From: Queensland (educated in Western Australia)
Greg Moriarty began his career as an intelligence analyst at the Defence Intelligence Organisation. He spent time in US CENTCOM during the Gulf War and played key roles in managing regional conflicts, such as Bougainville.
Once he moved from intelligence to diplomacy, Moriarty worked in key foreign roles, including ambassador to Iran (2005-2008) and Indonesia (2010-2014). He was also deputy secretary at Foreign Affairs. He was seconded into Malcolm Turnbull’s office as chief of staff before becoming secretary at Defence in 2017.
According to his official biography, Moriarty has studied Indonesian and Tok Pisin.
Achievements: Moriarty’s role as senior negotiator with the Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville is credited with helping defuse a highly volatile regional situation. Similarly, his insights into Iran made him a go-to source for counsel on the complex nation.
Controversies: Some pundits thought Moriarty was a left-field choice for this key position as he had no prior experience as a secretary. He was forced to manage some of the idiosyncrasies of former minister Peter Dutton, who placed bans on morning teas and rainbows in the department.
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