Kim Beazley

Kim Beazley entered Parliament in 1980 and held several portfolios in the Hawke and Keating governments, including defence, finance, and transport and communications. He became deputy prime minister in 1995 and twice led Labor in opposition. After retiring from politics, he taught at the University of Western Australia and became chancellor of the Australian National University. ¹

Beazley served in Washington from February 2010 to January 2016. He later recalled organising regular discussions at the residence between Australian and American national security officials on North Asia. His embassy also worked through disputes over the costs and capacity required for the American Marine deployment through Darwin, while explaining Australian decisions such as joining the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. ²

After Washington, Beazley continued writing and speaking about security policy. He served as governor of Western Australia from May 2018 to June 2022. ¹