26 Facts About Mick Keelty

Michael Joseph Keelty was born on 13 July 1954 and is a retired Australian Police Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police from 2001 to 2009.

Mick Keelty was the inaugural chairperson of the Australian Crime Commission, now known as the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

Mick Keelty joined the Australian Capital Territory Police in 1974, which was merged with the Commonwealth Police in 1979, to create the Australian Federal Police.

Mick Keelty became an Assistant Commissioner of the AFP in 1995 and Deputy Commissioner in 1998.

Mick Keelty was appointed Commissioner of Police of the Australian Federal Police on 2 April 2001 for an initial term of five years.

Mick Keelty was the first Commissioner appointed from the ranks of the AFP.

Mick Keelty returned to the AFP and was later taken off line to work with the Commonwealth Attorney General's Department with then barrister now NSW Justice Ian Harrison SC.

Mick Keelty oversaw the AFP's involvement in the Bali Nine case, in which nine Australians were known to be carrying drugs to Indonesia, where they were arrested and jailed, with two later executed.

Mick Keelty has defended the AFP's role in the Bali Nine saga.

Mick Keelty retired on 2 September 2009, on the 35th anniversary of commencing as a police officer having been instrumental in building the National Police Memorial located in Canberra.

Mick Keelty rebuilt the Australian Institute of Police Management located at North Head, Manly NSW.

Mick Keelty is a member of the International Advisory Board for the Australian Research Council Centre for Excellence in Policing and Security and a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Council on Organised Crime.

In February 2011, Mick Keelty was appointed by the WA Government to lead the independent inquiry into the Perth Hills bushfires.

Mick Keelty later conducted a review of the Margaret River WA bushfires.

In 2013 Mick Keelty reviewed the Queensland Police, Corrections and Emergency Services portfolio for the Queensland Government and was appointed a part-time Corruption Commissioner on the QLD Crime and Corruption Commission following a review by former High Court Justice the Hon.

In July 2017, Mick Keelty was appointed the Chair of an expert advisory group in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet involved with the protection of children and young persons.

Mick Keelty was appointed by the Federal Minister for Agriculture the Hon.

On 1 August 2019 it was announced that a new position of Inspector-General for the Murray Darling Basin would be created and that from 1 October 2019, Mick Keelty would act as the Interim Inspector-General as a non-statutory role for a period of 12 months, or until a statutory appointment is made.

In March 2020, Mick Keelty delivered a report of the impact of lower flows on state shares under the Murray-Darling Basin agreement.

Mick Keelty has performed Chairman and Company Director roles on a number of private sector and charitable boards.

On 16 August 2020, the media reported that Mick Keelty compromised an AFP investigation into alleged Australian war crimes in Afghanistan.

Mick Keelty was reported to have informed Ben Roberts-Smith in June 2018 that he was a figure of interest to police.

Mick Keelty said he contacted Roberts-Smith because he was asked to do so by a security adviser who previously worked for media billionaire Kerry Stokes, who is Roberts-Smith's employer at the Seven Network.

Mick Keelty has stated that he made this approach out of concern for Roberts-Smith's welfare.

Mick Keelty found he lied about trying to evade police detection.

Mick Keelty's academic qualifications include a Masters of Public Policy and Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia, USA; he is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.