David Ritchie | |
|---|---|
 David Ritchie in 2013 | |
| Occupation(s) | Diplomat, public servant |
| Years active | since 1975 |
David James Ritchie AO (born 20 June 1953) is an Australian diplomat and a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). His last appointment was as Ambassador for Australia to Germany, a post to which he was appointed in 2013.
Ritchie holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from the University of Queensland in German language and literature, which he obtained in 1975. [1]
Ritchie began his diplomatic career with a posting at the Australian embassy in Bonn (West Germany), where he served from 1975 to 1978, and from 1981 to 1983 he was posted to the Australian embassy in East Berlin (East Germany).[ citation needed ]
Between 1992 and 1997, Ritchie held various positions in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. [2]
From 1999 to 2001, Ritchie was a senior foreign affairs adviser to Australian Prime Minister John Howard, and from 2001 was promoted to Deputy Secretary at DFAT.[ citation needed ]
In 2002, Ritchie was appointed as chargé d'affaires at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta until a replacement for Ric Smith was appointed. Some saw David Irvine as a good replacement for Smith, given his knowledge of the Indonesian language, but Ritchie was appointed as the Ambassador of Australia to Indonesia by the Australian government to oversee the relationship between the two countries, which is seen as one of the most complex. [3] He served in this position until 2005, including at the time of the 2004 Australian Embassy bombing in Jakarta, [4] and the 2005 Bali bombings. [5] For his work at this time, Ritchie was awarded the Group Bravery Citation on 29 August 2005 and made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) on 13 June 2005 for "service to ensuring Australia's long-term security interests in the region through efforts to gain co-operative action to address the threat of terrorism." [6] [7]
On 10 May 2010, Ritchie was appointed as Ambassador of Australia to Italy, with concurrent accreditation to San Marino. [8] [9] He took up the post in mid-July that year, [10] and remained in the position until November 2013. [11]
On 24 October 2013, Ritchie was appointed as Ambassador of Australia to Germany, with concurrent accreditation to Liechtenstein and Switzerland. [12] In July 2016, Ritchie was awarded with the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Minister of State in the Foreign Office, Maria Böhmer. [13]
A series of bombings occurred on 1 October 2005 in Bali, Indonesia. Bombs exploded at two sites in Jimbaran Beach resort and in Kuta 30 km (19 mi) away, both in south Bali. The terrorist attack claimed the lives of 20 people and injured more than 100 others. The attack was known in Indonesia as the second Bali bombing or Bali bombing II to distinguish it from the previous attack in 2002.
Australia and Indonesia have established diplomatic relations since 1949, when Australia recognised Indonesia's independence. Historically, contact between Australians and Indonesians began as early as the 16th century prior to the arrival of the Europeans, through Makassan interactions with indigenous Australians on Australia's western and northern coasts.
Peter Richard Woolcott is an Australian public servant, diplomat and the former Australian Public Service Commissioner. He was previously the Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Woolcott has served as the Australia's High Commissioner to New Zealand, the Australian Ambassador for the Environment, the Australian Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, the Australian Ambassador to Italy, the Deputy Head of Mission in Jakarta, and the Consul-General in Honolulu.
Richard Arthur Woolcott was an Australian public servant, diplomat, author, and commentator.
Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat is a former Indonesian diplomat. He served as an official in the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs for over two decades.
Richard Campbell "Ric" Smith is a former senior Australian public servant and diplomat. He served as the Australian Ambassador to China (1996–2000), Australian Ambassador to Indonesia during the time of the 2002 Bali bombings (2001–2002), and Secretary of the Department of Defence (2002–2006). In April 2009, Smith was appointed as Australia's Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Louise Helen Hand is an Australian diplomat and is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
William John Farmer is a retired senior Australian public servant and policymaker, best known for his time as Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and for his career in the Australian diplomatic service.
Ric Lawson Wells (born 20 October 1955 is an Australian former diplomat and senior public servant with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Wells' senior postings included Australia’s Ambassador to France from 2011 until 2014 and two terms as Deputy Secretary of DFAT.
Patrick Colin Lawless is an Australian diplomat and senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Diplomatic relations between Australia and Morocco were established in 1976. Morocco has had an embassy in Canberra since 2004 and the Australian Embassy in Rabat was established in May 2017, upgrading the existing Austrade office in Rabat. Previously the Australian Embassy in Paris was accredited to Morocco since 1978.
Penny Williams is an Australian public servant and diplomat. She is the current Australian Ambassador to Indonesia. From 2007 to 2010, Williams was Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia.
Paul Grigson is an Australian diplomat and public servant. He is currently the deputy secretary of Infrastructure, Transport Security and Customs Group and the deputy comptroller-general of customs. He has served as the Australian ambassador to Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar.
James Larsen is an Australian diplomat and bureaucrat currently serving as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations. He has previously worked as the Ambassador to Turkey and the Ambassador to Israel.
This article incorporates material from a website of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence. Attribution: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website – www.dfat.gov.au
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
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