Jim Furner

Brigadier Jim Furner AO, CBE, DSM
Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service
In office 27 February 1984 – 24 November 1992
Prime Minister	Bob Hawke Paul Keating
Preceded by	John Ryan
Succeeded by	Rex Stevenson
Personal details
Born	(1927-11-25)25 November 1927 Warragul, Victoria
Died	17 September 2007(2007-09-17) (aged 79) Terrigal, New South Wales
Nationality	Australian
Spouse	Lois Walker ​ (m. 1952)​
Alma mater	University of Melbourne
Military service
Allegiance	Australia
Branch/service	Australian Army
Years of service	1952–1982
Rank	Brigadier
Commands	Australian Army Intelligence Centre (1969–70)
Battles/wars	Vietnam War
Awards	Officer of the Order of Australia Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Medal

Brigadier James Osmond Furner, AO, CBE, DSM (25 November 1927 – 17 September 2007) was an Australian military intelligence officer, who was the longest serving Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) from 1984 to 1992.

Military career

After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Melbourne and working as a school teacher, Furner embarked on a career change and enlisted in the Australian Army, becoming one of the first cadets to be trained at the Officer Cadet School, Portsea. On completion of his training, Furner joined the Royal Australian Infantry Corps where he was posted overseas with the 1st Commonwealth Division in South Korea from 1955 to 1956.

In 1982, Furner joined the Joint Intelligence Organisation as deputy director, and retired from the army to take the civilian post of director a few months later.

Australian Secret Intelligence Service

In February 1983, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bill Hayden, asked Furner to take the role of Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service in an acting capacity. The appointment was later made permanent and Furner served in the role for eight and a half years, retiring in November 1992.