His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC

His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC.

His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) was appointed Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 July 2019. Prior to that, he served as the Governor of New South Wales from 2014-2019.

Hurley had a long and distinguished 42 year military career, commencing in 1972. At key points during his career he was personally involved in the Australia-Indonesia defence relationship. In 1974 David Hurley participated in the first cadet exchange between the Royal Military College Duntroon, and the Indonesian Military Academy (then known as AKABRI). Later, when appointed Vice Chief of Defence Force, and after reconnecting with some of the Indonesian officers he met in 1974, Hurley was instrumental in establishing the Indonesia-Australia Defence Alumni Association, known as Ikahan.

Hurley’s support for the Indonesia-Australia defence relationship continued during his tenure as Chief of the Defence Force from 2011 to 2014, including as co-chair of the first Australia-Indonesia High Level Committee overseeing all aspects of military to military cooperation between the Australian Defence Force and the Indonesian National Armed Forces.

Hurley maintains his personal links to Indonesia, including by studying Bahasa Indonesia. He remains a strong supporter of the bilateral defence relationship, particularly the development of next generation leaders.