Dr Bradley Armstrong PSM
Brad Armstrong commenced in his current role on 1 July 2019.
Prior to his current appointment, from September 2018 Brad was First Assistant Secretary, Trade and Customs Division. He joined the Department of Home Affairs from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in February 2018 to help establish the National Counter-Foreign Interference Office.
Brad has over 20 years’ experience in government (including Australian Border Force, Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Treasury, the Office of National Assessments, and a three-month Australian Federal Police secondment). He has also worked for 11 years in the private sector (commercial banking and corporate management).
Brad’s time in government and the private sector has included four long-term overseas assignments. This has included several postings to Indonesia, including most recently from January 2015 to January 2018. Over this time, Brad was acting Deputy Ambassador for the last eight months of his posting, he was a board member of the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation, and he was Co-Chair the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Justice. Brad is a fluent Indonesian speaker and has interpreted for two Australian Prime Ministers.
In 2003 he was awarded a Public Service Medal for his work following the 2002 Bali bombings. He has an Anthropology PhD from the Australian National University, a Graduate Diploma in Foreign Affairs and Trade from Monash University, and a Social Sciences Honours Degree from Curtin University. Brad started his working career as an apprentice carpenter.
