General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove, AK AC(Mil) CVO MC (Retd), Australian Statesman, Man of the People

General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK AC(Mil) CVO MC (Retd) is a retired senior Australian Army officer who was the 26th and former Governor-General of Australia, from 2014 until 2019.

A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Sir Peter fought in the Vietnam War, receiving the Military Cross in 1971. From 1983 to 1984, he was commander of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR), and he later served as commander of the 6th Brigade and the 1st Division. He rose to prominence in 1999, when he served as commander of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET), which oversaw the peacekeeping mission in East Timor during its transition to independence.

Sir Peter was Australia's Chief of Army from 2000 to 2002, and then Chief of the Defence Force from 2002 to 2005, receiving corresponding promotions to lieutenant general and general. He retired from active service following the end of his term as Chief of the Defence Force, and subsequently served as leader of a taskforce helping to rebuild communities in Queensland after Cyclone Larry in 2006.

In January 2014, Sir Peter was named to succeed Dame Quentin Bryce as Governor-General of Australia. He was sworn in on 28 March 2014, and created a Knight of the Order of Australia on the same date. Sir Peter retired as Governor-General in June 2019.

To read the full profile of General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK AC(Mil) CVO MC (Retd),  click here.

Ali Moore, Journalist and Broadcaster

Ali Moore has more than 30 years experience as a journalist and broadcaster, working for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia's Nine Network, and for the BBC's global news network, based in Singapore. She has covered major news and current affairs events across the region, including as the ABC's China Correspondent in Beijing. Ali is a former Vice-Chancellor's Fellow at the University of Melbourne, producing and presenting the 'This is Not A Drill' series of hypotheticals with Asialink, the ABC and the Wheeler Centre. She is now a freelance broadcaster and journalist, and regular program host on ABC Radio Melbourne.