David Irvine (diplomat)

David Irvine
AO
Portrait of David Irvine from the ASIO website
12th Director-General of Security
In office
30 March 2009  14 September 2014
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Julia Gillard
Tony Abbott
Preceded by Paul O'Sullivan
Succeeded by Duncan Lewis
10th Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service
In office
1 March 2003  27 March 2009
Prime Minister John Howard
Preceded by Allan Taylor
Succeeded by Nick Warner
Personal details
Born David Taylor Irvine
10 January 1947
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Nationality Australian
Alma mater University of Western Australia
Occupation Diplomat

David Taylor Irvine AO (born 10 January 1947) is an Australian diplomat, who from March 2009 to September 2014 was the Director-General of Security (head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation). Prior to his appointment to ASIO, he was Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) from 2003 to 2009.[1]

Irvine was born in Perth, Western Australia[2] and studied at Hale School and The University of Western Australia, graduating with honours in Elizabethan history. He worked as a journalist in Perth, and joined the Department of External Affairs (the Australian foreign service) in 1970, and served as Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea (1996–1999)[3] and Australian Ambassador to China (2000–2003).[1]

He has written two books about Indonesia: a 1990 English translation of Bisma: Warrior Priest of the Mahabharata by Satyagraha Hurip,[4] and Leather Gods & Wooden Heroes: Java's Classical Wayang (1996; about Indonesian Wayang shadow puppets).[5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 McDonald, Hamish: Puppet-master now pulling the strings at ASIS, The Age, 20 February 2003.
  2. Appointment of Director-General, ASIS, Minister for Foreign Affairs, 23 December 2002.
  3. Evans, Gareth (9 December 1995). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012.
  4. Bisma : warrior priest of the Mahabharata / Satyagraha Hurip ; translated from the Indonesian by David Irvine, National Library of Australia, 1990.
  5. Leather gods & wooden heroes : Java's classical wayang / David Irvine, National Library of Australia, 1996.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
Bill Farmer
Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea
1996–1999
Succeeded by
Nick Warner
Preceded by
Ric Smith
Australian Ambassador to China
2000–2003
Succeeded by
Alan Thomas
Government offices
Preceded by
Allan Taylor
Director-General of the
Australian Secret Intelligence Service

2003–2009
Succeeded by
Nick Warner
Preceded by
Paul O'Sullivan
Director-General of Security
2009–2014
Succeeded by
Duncan Lewis