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Australia names ex-ambassador to Jakarta as 1st national counter-terrorism coordinator

Xinhua, May 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

A former ambassador to Indonesia and intelligence analyst was named on Monday as Australia's first national counter-terrorism coordinator.

Greg Moriarty, who spent four years in Jakarta and three years as Australia's ambassador in Iran, will oversee the work of Australia's law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Moriarty's post will ensure there is a "whole-of-government approach" to national security.

"Greg Moriarty's role will be to coordinate all of the efforts across government and report to the prime minister," Bishop told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.

"There are many different departments, many different agencies, and we want to ensure that there's a completely coordinated approach and nothing slips through the cracks," she said.

Moriarty's unit will be embedded in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and will be supported by Justice Minister Michael Keenan, who will be the inaugural Minister to the Prime Minister assisting on Counter-terrorism.

"History shows that where there's a lack of coordination between agencies ... that can cause concerns and issues," Bishop said.

"We want to make sure that we do everything possible to keep Australians safe from a terrorist attack at home and prevent Australians taking part in terrorist activities overseas."

Moriarty will co-ordinate changes to spy and counter-terrorism agencies outlined in a review of intelligence following December's Sydney siege, where a lone gunman held 18 hostages for 17 hours in an inner-city cafe.

Moriarty is well regarded in security intelligence circles and is one of the only Australian diplomats to have directly briefed a U.S. president.

The appointment came days before the government unveils legislation giving authorities the power to revoke Australian citizenship of dual nations who join terrorist groups or campaign for violent extremism.

Six planned terrorist attacks have been stopped since the terror alert level was raised from 'medium' to 'high' in September last year, according to the government. Endi