The Albanese government will recommend to the Governor-General that Greg Moriarty AO be appointed as Australia’s next Ambassador to the United States.
Mr Moriarty will take over from former prime minister Kevin Rudd as ambassador on March 31, 2026.
The Albanese government described Mr Moriarty as “uniquely experienced to take forward the Australia-US alliance”.
He has held senior roles across the Australian Public Service, including Secretary of the Department of Defence since 2017.
He has also previously served as Ambassador to Indonesia (2010–2014) and Iran (2005–2008).
Within the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr Moriarty previously held senior positions, including as Chief of Staff to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
It comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently announced Mr Rudd would finish his tenure early, ending a three-year posting that began in March 2023.
Both Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong insisted the decision to quit a year early was entirely Mr Rudd’s.
Mr Rudd will resume his role as Global President of the Asia Society and lead its Centre for China Analysis, working between New York and Washington on US-China relations.
The early exit followed a tense White House meeting in October 2025 with former US President Donald Trump, who told him, “I don’t like you and I probably never will”.
Despite calls for resignation at the time, Mr Albanese defended him and said he would serve out his term.
The appointment of Mr Moriarty concludes weeks of speculation about who would succeed Kevin Rudd.
Former Labor senator Stephen Conroy, former defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon, as well as former prime ministers Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull were all floated as options.