Mike Rann takes over from David Ritchie

Former premier of South Australia Mike Rann is to become Australia's next ambassador to Italy, with non-resident accreditation to Albania, Libya and S. Marino.

Rann is currently serving as Australia's High Commissioner to the UK and will begin his new role in May.

The new ambassador was born in London in 1953 and moved to Australia when he was nine years old. He became a senior member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and sat in the parliament of South Australia until his parliamentary resignation in 2012.

Rann will be joined in Rome by his wife Sasha Carruozzo, and takes over from Ambassador David Ritchie who left last November.