Renouf joined the
Commonwealth Public Service in the
Department of External Affairs in 1943, after serving in the army. In 1960, Renouf was appointed the first Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, a position in which he remained until 1963. Between 1963 and 1965, Renouf worked at the Australian embassy in Washington, D.C. He and his wife returned to Canberra for less than a year before Renouf was named Australia's first Ambassador to Yugoslavia in August 1966, to begin his appointment in November. In 1969, he was named Australia's first Ambassador to Portugal, with the intent that he would continue to reside in Paris. From 1974 to 1977, Renouf was the permanent head of the Australian
Department of Foreign Affairs. Renouf wrote at least three books:
The Frightened Country (1979),
Let Justice Be Done. The Foreign Policy of Dr H.V. Evatt (1983) and
Malcolm Fraser and Australian Foreign Policy (1986). == Honours ==