Formal documents on cessation of appointment and new appointment of Ambassador to US (2026)
Dear Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Is it possible to provide the following:
- documents that were submitted to the Governor-General, or other relevant officers (e.g. Prime Minister??), for approval of cessation of the appointment of Hon. Kevin Rudd from the post of Ambassador to the United States of America AND for approval of appointment of Mr Greg Moriarty AO as Ambassador to the US;
- formal written correspondence from Australia to the United States, and from the United States to Australia, conveying or confirming the above cessation of Ambassador Rudd's appointment AND the above appointment of Mr Moriarty AO (such as letters of credence, and other diplomatic notes or other correspondence).
(I understand that DFAT publicly announced in January 2026 that Ambassador Rudd will conclude his above appointment later in 2026, and that Mr. Moriarty will be the new Ambassador to the US.)
This is a request under the FOI Act 1982. I would most appreciate the requested information and documents to be provided in reply to this message (on righttoknow.org.au).
Thank you
Yours faithfully,
Tyler
OFFICIAL
FOI Request: LEX 13382
Dear Anonymous (Tyler)
Thank you for your email dated 18 February 2026 seeking access to
documents under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act).
Scope of request:
You have sought access to:
- documents that were submitted to the Governor-General, or other relevant
officers (e.g. Prime Minister??), for approval of cessation of the
appointment of Hon. Kevin Rudd from the post of Ambassador to the United
States of America AND for approval of appointment of Mr Greg Moriarty AO
as Ambassador to the US;
- formal written correspondence from Australia to the United States, and
from the United States to Australia, conveying or confirming the above
cessation of Ambassador Rudd's appointment AND the above appointment of Mr
Moriarty AO (such as letters of credence, and other diplomatic notes or
other correspondence).
If it emerges that the scope of your request is unclear or is too large
for processing, the department will contact you to discuss re-scoping the
request.
Timeframe for receiving our decision:
We received your request on 18 February 2026, and the 30-day statutory
period for processing your request commenced from the day after that date.
A decision is currently due to you by 23 March 2026. The period of 30 days
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Kind regards
Freedom of Information Section
Public Interest Law Branch | Regulatory and Legal Policy Division
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
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-----Original Message-----
From: Tyler <[FOI #14335 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 18 February 2026 2:30 PM
To: FOI <[DFAT request email]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Freedom of Information request - Formal documents on
cessation of appointment and new appointment of Ambassador to US (2026)
CAUTION: This email originated from outside the organisation. Do not click
links or open attachments unless you recognise the sender.
Dear Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Is it possible to provide the following:
- documents that were submitted to the Governor-General, or other relevant
officers (e.g. Prime Minister??), for approval of cessation of the
appointment of Hon. Kevin Rudd from the post of Ambassador to the United
States of America AND for approval of appointment of Mr Greg Moriarty AO
as Ambassador to the US;
- formal written correspondence from Australia to the United States, and
from the United States to Australia, conveying or confirming the above
cessation of Ambassador Rudd's appointment AND the above appointment of Mr
Moriarty AO (such as letters of credence, and other diplomatic notes or
other correspondence).
(I understand that DFAT publicly announced in January 2026 that Ambassador
Rudd will conclude his above appointment later in 2026, and that Mr.
Moriarty will be the new Ambassador to the US.)
This is a request under the FOI Act 1982. I would most appreciate the
requested information and documents to be provided in reply to this
message (on righttoknow.org.au).
Thank you
Yours faithfully,
Tyler
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