David Irvine (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, the 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] In 2017 he was unexpectedly appointed Chair of the Foreign Investment Review Board despite having no professional investment or business experience[2].

David Irvine AO
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 (1947-01-10) 10 January 1947 Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	University of Western Australia
Occupation	Diplomat

Irvine was born in Perth, Western Australia[3] 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)[4] 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,[5] and Leather Gods & Wooden Heroes: Java's Classical Wayang (1996; about Indonesian Wayang shadow puppets).[6]

References

1. McDonald, Hamish: Puppet-master now pulling the strings at ASIS, The Age, 20 February 2003.
2. FIRB Chair Appointment, FIRB, Treasurer, 10 April 2017
3. Appointment of Director-General, ASIS, Minister for Foreign Affairs, 23 December 2002.
4. 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.
5. Bisma : warrior priest of the Mahabharata / Satyagraha Hurip ; translated from the Indonesian by David Irvine, National Library of Australia, 1990.
6. 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