Richard Campbell "Ric" Smith (born 8 March 1944) is a former senior Australian public servant and diplomat. He served as the Australian Ambassador to China (1996–2000),

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia The Ambassador of Australia to Indonesia is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Republic of Indonesia. The position has the rank and status of ...

during the time of the

2002 Bali bombings The 2002 Bali bombings occurred on 12 October 2002 in the tourist district of Kuta on the Indonesian island of Bali. The attack killed 202 people (including 88 Australians, 38 Indonesians, 23 Britons, and people of more than 20 other nationalit ...

(2001–2002), and

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

of the

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

(2002–2006)."Global Security in the New Millennium", Proceedings of the RUSI International Seminar, Canberra, 9–10 October 2003, ''Journal of the Royal United Services Institute of Australia'', Vol 25, December 2003, Canberra, , pp.9,43–50. In April 2009, Smith was appointed as Australia's

Special Envoy Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Background and career

Smith was born in

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

in 1944, and was educated at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

. He was a high school teacher prior to joining the

Australian Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the G ...

in the

Department of External Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

in 1969. Smith joined the Department of External Affairs in 1969 (later

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid (using the branding Australian Aid), consular services and trade and inv ...

(DFAT)) and served in New Delhi, Tel Aviv and Manila. Smith held a number of senior positions in DFAT before being appointed as an assistant secretary in 1985, and consul-general in Honolulu in 1987. In 1992 he was appointed Deputy Secretary, and was also acting Secretary of DFAT for much of 1992–1993. In 1994–1995, Smith was seconded to the

as Deputy Secretary of Strategy and Intelligence. Smith served as the Australian Ambassador to the People's Republic of China (1996–2000). In the 1998 Australia Day Honours, he was appointed an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

"for service to international relations and to the development of policy approaches to sanctions, human rights, defence and trade issues".Officer of the Order of Australia
26 January 1998, itsanhonour.gov.au He was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

on 1 January 2001 "for a significant contribution over many years to international relations".Centenary Medal
1 January 2001, itsanhonour.gov.au He served as the Australian Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia (2001–2002), and extended his period of office when he learnt of the bombings in Bali on 12 October 2002. "For outstanding public service as Australian Ambassador to Indonesia in managing and leading Australia's response in Indonesia following the bombings which occurred in Bali on 12 October 2002", he was awarded the Public Service Medal on 17 October 2003.Public Service Medal
17 October 2003, itsanhonour.gov.au Returning to Australia in November 2002, Smith served as the Secretary of the

until his retirement from the public service in December 2006; his initial 3-year term was extended for a further two years when he expressed his desire to retire "in two years' time". In 2004 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Western Australia.

Career after retirement from the Australian public service

When Smith retired from the Australian Public Service on 1 December 2006, he was given the honour of delivering the first valedictory address (by a retiring public servant) on 29 November 2006. In 2007, Smith spent four months as a Distinguished Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. In 2008, Smith led a review of "Homeland and Border Security" in Australia for the Rudd Government. He also became a visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, publishing his first report for them in October 2008.Richard C. Smith AO PSM
, "Our People", lowyinstitute.org From March to June 2009, Smith was the Australian Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington DC. In April 2009, Smith was appointed as Australia's Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
, Kabul International Conference on Afghanistan, 20 July 2010, dfat.gov.au Smith is also a board member of the Energy and Minerals Institute,Dr Richard Smith
Board members, Energy and Minerals Institute, University of Western Australia, 3 September 2010, www.emi.uwa.edu.au and was one of the Conference Chairs at ''The Reluctant Super Power'' Conference.Ric Smith
, Conference Chairs, ''The Reluctant Super Power'' Conference, 22–23 September 2011, Australia India Institute, www.reluctantsuperpower.com

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ric 1944 births Living people Officers of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Public Service Medal (Australia) Recipients of the Centenary Medal Secretaries of the Australian Department of Defence People from Perth, Western Australia University of Western Australia alumni Ambassadors of Australia to China Ambassadors of Australia to Mongolia Ambassadors of Australia to Indonesia Ambassadors of Australia to the Federated States of Micronesia