Alan Sweetman
HEAD OF SECURITY

Alan Sweetman was a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) from 1991-2019. He served in various Canberra-based roles - as well as Head of Mission/deputy roles at Australian Embassies and High Commissions across Australia’s diplomatic network in SE Asia, the Middle East and Europe. He was part of the Jakarta-based team running Australia’s interests at the 1994 APEC Leaders’ Summit (APEC then comprising of Australia, NZ, ASEAN, China, Japan, Korea and the US ) which played an major role re- shaping our regional, as well as broader WTO/ multinational trade liberalisation, regulatory reform agenda. He worked within DFAT’s China policy area in the early 2000’s, supporting LNG and raw commodities export deals, running defence as well, including on discussions about trade linked carbon sequestration and credits. As Deputy Ambassador (until 2008) to Australia’s Embassy to Greece and Bulgaria – EU members – he officially engaged their ministries/Ministers and policymakers on Australia’s carbon emissions and Kyoto Protocol policies.  In 2011, as Director of DFAT/Australia’s APEC Technical and Working Committees, he represented Australia across a broad technical trade policy reform agenda, overseeing capacity-building and institutional strengthening policy initiatives for ASEAN countries, incl across environmental, climate changes and disaster preparedness agencies. In 2013 as Director of DFAT’s southern EU states bureau, which included Spain and Italy, he was closely engaged with pre-negotiation discussions and policy dialogue, with Australian industries, about a proposed Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA). In 2015 he was appointed Australia’s High Commissioner to EU member, the Republic of Cyprus, tasked to design and lead Australia’s engagement and advocacy with stakeholders in Cyprus, with their Australian counterparts, and local EU officials across the multi year EU FTA pre-negotiation phase. This work, especially on agriculture, was acknowledged as crafting new broader engagement approaches to the EU, and provided a more detailed knowledge of a range of downstream expected EU demands and interests.  Alan also worked closely across his career with rural and agricultural development issues. As well as related work in Indonesia he acted as AusAID’s in-country programme coordinator in East Timor throughout 1999, and in Afghanistan across 2009, at multilateral donor coordination meetings and also directly on rural capacity and base infrastructure projects. He also served in the unarmed Pacific Islands Forum peace monitoring group to Bougainville late 2002-2003 where he was the civilian liaison officer to the Bougainville Autonomous Region’s political leadership and ex-combatants. He speaks Indonesian and Tok Pisin.  Alan has long-running broader interest in agriculture and arguments around sustainability, and was significant value-ad component of trade policy and business crafting and engagement across his career. He worked in northern Australia in the water and irrigation sector in the early 1980s and studied botany at ANU, before later taking up international relations and a DFAT career.  He currently runs a small agri-business, organic farm and consultancy (ELLYiON)