Defence secretary Greg Moriarty was quietly reappointed to his role in September last year for another five-year term.
When The Mandarin inquired about the reappointment, a Defence department spokesperson referred to a section of the department’s website.
“Mr Moriarty commenced as Secretary of the Department of Defence on 4 September 2017 and was reappointed for another 5-year term in September 2022,” the first line of the about section reads at the time of writing.
According to the Internet archive The Wayback Machine, an 11 November 2022 snapshot for the first line read: “Mr Moriarty commenced as Secretary of the Department of Defence on 4 September 2017.”
There was no mention in the November snapshot of a reappointment.
It is not clear at this stage when Defence’s website was updated to include a mention of Moriarty’s reappointment.
Defence refused to be drawn on the following questions:
- Can you confirm Greg Moriarty was reappointed as Defence secretary?
- Was there a delay in the public announcement of his reappointment?
- If so, why was there a delay in the public announcement?
The Defence secretary was appointed to the high-profile department role back in 2017 by former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
At the time of the appointment, some were critical of it due to his lack of experience as a secretary.
Moriarty does have experience in the public service outside of the Defence secretary position, having previously been ambassador to Iran and ambassador to Indonesia, as well as deputy secretary at DFAT.
This year is shaping up for a big year for Defence, with a strategic review of Australia’s defence capability as previously reported by The Mandarin.
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