Representative of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Mr Gary Quinlan AO commenced as Deputy Secretary on 1 June 2015. Most recently he was Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2009 until January 2015, and Australian Representative on the United Nations Security Council 2013-2014. He was Principal Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security from 2007-2009.

Mr Quinlan has served in several senior positions in the Department in Canberra with responsibility for North Asia, the Americas and Europe, and corporate management, including crisis management. He has had extensive experience in multilateral negotiations on UN matters, law of the sea and the Antarctic. His other overseas assignments have been as Deputy Head of Mission in Washington DC, 2005-2007; High Commissioner to Singapore, 2001-2005; First Secretary, Australian Mission to the United Nations, New York, 1981-1985; Australian Deputy Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Paris 1979-1981; and Second Secretary in the Australian Embassy in Dublin, 1974-1977.

He has a B.A. (Hons) from the University of Newcastle and an Hon D. Litt (Newcastle), 2007.