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Biography
Peter James Shannon (born 1949 in Melbourne, Australia) was Australian Ambassador to Austria between 2006 and 2009.
Shannon holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney. He is married and has one son. Apart from English, he speaks French and Bislama, a Melanesian creole language.
Prior to his appointment as ambassador to Austria in 2006, Shannon was Assistant Secretary, Arms Control and Counter-Proliferation Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2002 - 2005). Amongst the other positions Shannon has held in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are Assistant Secretary, Americas Branch (1999 - 2002), Deputy Legal Adviser, Legal Branch (1991 - 1992), Director, Multilateral Law Section (1989 - 1990) and Director, Law of the Sea Section (1984 - 1986).
Abroad from Australia, Shannon has held a number of positions, including Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Australian Embassy and Permanent Mission to UNESCO, Paris (1996 - 1999) and High Commissioner to the Republic of Vanuatu (1992 - 1996).