Director-General of National Intelligence
Andrew Shearer
The Director-General of National Intelligence is the head of the Office of National Intelligence and the principal adviser to the Prime Minister on intelligence matters, including on intelligence collection and assessment priorities, intelligence capabilities and the broader activities of the National Intelligence Community.
Mr Andrew Shearer has been Director-General of the Office of National Intelligence since December 2020. His numerous roles in government include Office of National Intelligence Deputy Director-General (2018-19), Cabinet Secretary (2019-20) and National Security Adviser to two Australian prime ministers.
Over the course of his thirty-year career, he has also held senior diplomatic positions at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and senior roles in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the office of the Minister for Defence, and the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet.
As Senior Adviser on Asia-Pacific Security at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, and formerly Director of Studies at Sydney’s Lowy Institute, Mr Shearer’s analysis has been published widely in leading international press, journals and books.
He was awarded a UK Foreign Office Chevening Scholarship and holds a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Cambridge and honours degrees in law and arts from the University of Melbourne. He received the US Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service for his contribution to the Australia-US alliance.
Deputy Director-General – Intelligence
Nina Davidson
Ms Nina Davidson commenced as Deputy Director-General in 2021. She was previously Head of Office of the Productivity Commission. Prior to joining the Productivity Commission in 2015, Nina led the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Economic Division, providing advice on a range of economic issues.
Nina served as Deputy Director-General of the Office of National Assessments from 2010 to 2014. In this role Nina oversaw analysis and assessment of a broad range of international political, strategic and economic developments affecting Australia's national interests. She was also Assistant Director-General of the Office's International Economy Branch (2007-2010) overseeing analysis of international economic developments.
Nina has also worked in The Treasury, on issues ranging through Australia's international economic engagement, the domestic macroeconomic outlook and taxation policy, as well as on organisational strategy.
She worked as a development specialist in the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) Machinery of Government Program while living in Honiara during 2005-06. She also served as Adviser to the Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC (2001-2003). Nina has a first class honours degree in economics from the University of Tasmania.
Deputy Director-General – Technology and Capability, Chief Intelligence Scientist
Dr Paul Taloni PSM
Dr Paul Taloni became an Office of National Intelligence Deputy Director-General in 2017. Prior to this, he was the Director of the Australian Signals Directorate from 2013.
His previous roles have included work in national security policy, strategy, intelligence, operations, military capability development and international relations. Paul held the position of Chief of Staff to the Minister for Defence from 2011 to 2013 and served as the Deputy Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation. He was awarded a Public Service Medal in this role for initiatives that delivered more timely intelligence to deployed military personnel.
In February 2018, the United States Director of National Intelligence awarded Paul the United States National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service medal for his work in advancing partnerships with the United States intelligence community.
Paul holds a PhD in Experimental and Theoretical Physics and thinks of himself as a 'rocket scientist' having previously worked under contract to NASA in experimental hypersonics, laser diagnostics, molecular spectroscopy and computational fluid dynamics.
