List of high commissioners of Australia to India

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File:Australian High Commission in New Delhi.jpg
The Australian High Commission in New Delhi
File:The High Commissioner-designate of Australia, Ms. Harinder Kaur Sidhu presenting her Credential to the President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on April 04, 2016.jpg
High Commissioner Harinder Sidhu presenting her commission to the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, on 4 April 2016.

The high commissioner of Australia to India is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the High Commission of the Commonwealth of Australia to India in New Delhi. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is currently held by Philip Green, since 1 July 2023. The high commissioner also holds non-resident accreditation as Ambassador to Bhutan since diplomatic relations were established on 14 September 2002.[1][2]

History

In December 1939, the federal government appointed Roy Gollan as its first official trade representative in India, based in Calcutta. An assistant trade commissioner was later appointed in New Delhi, while Australian interests were also represented on the Eastern Group Supply Council during World War II, establishing "a firm Australian presence in India in the 1940s".[3]

The Australian Government has offered diplomatic representation in India since 1943.[4] Between 1960 and 1986, the high commissioner also had non-resident accreditation as Ambassador to Nepal. A resident Australian Embassy in Nepal was opened on 27 April 1984, but the first resident ambassador was not appointed until 4 May 1986.[5][6][7] The high commission's work is assisted by multiple consulates throughout the country that have visiting and reporting responsibilities, as well as handling consular and trade matters for the high commission.

On 21 May 2020, High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell presented his commission to the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, in India's first-ever virtual credentials ceremony.[8] On 7 October 2022, O'Farrell presented his credentials as ambassador to the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, at Tashichho Dzong in Thimphu.[9]

List of high commissioners

# Officeholder Other offices Term start date Term end date Time in office Notes
Template:Nts Template:Sortname n/a Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [10][11][12][13]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname (Acting) Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [14]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and months [15][16][17][18]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and months [19][20]
Template:Nts D. J. Munro (Acting) Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [21]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [22][23][24]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [25][26][27]
Template:Nts Kevin Thomas Kelly (Acting) Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [28]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname (Acting) Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [29][30][31]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [32][33]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [34]
Template:Nts Rob Laurie (Acting) Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [35]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [36][37][38]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [39][40]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [41]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [42]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and months [43][44]
Template:Nts David Evans n/a Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and months [45]
Template:Nts Darren Gribble Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and months [46]
Template:Nts Rob Laurie Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [47]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [48]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [49]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [50]
Template:Nts Patrick Suckling Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [51][52][53]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date Template:End date Template:Age in years and days [54]
Template:Nts Template:Sortname Template:Ref Template:Start date 30 June 2023 Template:Age in years and days [55]
22 Philip Green 1 July 2023 Template:Age in years and days

Notes

Template:Note: Also non-resident Ambassador to Nepal, 1960–1986.
Template:Note: Also non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan, 2002–present.

Consuls-general

Location Open Consular district
Consulate-General, Mumbai 1967/1979 Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa
Consulate-General, Chennai 2007 Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Puducherry
Consulate-General, Kolkata 1970/2019 West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura
Consulate-General, Bengaluru TBD [56][57]

Mumbai

The consulate-general was first opened in Bombay on the 21 August 1967, initially with a Deputy High Commissioner in charge until 1973, but was closed on the 30 April 1976 due to financial constraints,[58] before being reopened on 6 February 1979.[59] An Australian Trade Commission had been located in the city since 1939, with Roy Gollan (later high commissioner) serving as trade commissioner from 1939 to 1948.[60][61]

Name Start of term End of term References
John Melhuish (DHC) 21 August 1967 24 February 1973 [59][62]
Thomas Venables Holland (DHC) 24 February 1973 13 May 1973 [59]
C. A. Bromwich (DHC) 13 May 1973 6 March 1975 [59]
Eric Hanfield 6 March 1975 30 April 1976 [59]
Consulate closed
Robert Jolly (acting) 6 February 1979 4 October 1979 [59]
John Dalrymple Colquhoun-Denvers 4 October 1979 15 April 1982 [59]
Ian Tricks 15 April 1982 13 December 1984 [59]
G. R. Hawker 13 December 1984 12 December 1986 [59]
Gavan Bromilow 12 December 1986 14 December 1989 [59]
Stephanie Daly 14 December 1989 10 January 1992 [59]
J. N. Elliot 10 January 1992 May 1993 [59]
Christopher Quirk June 1993 1997 [59]
1997 2006
Peter Forby July 2006 6 July 2010 [63]
Stephen Waters 6 July 2010 September 2013 [63]
Mark Pierce September 2013 19 August 2016 [64]
Tony Huber 19 August 2016 25 February 2020 [65]
Greg Wilcock 25 February 2020 14 April 2021 [66]
Peter Truswell 14 April 2021 date [67]

Kolkata

On 18 June 1970, the post was originally opened as the Deputy High Commission, Calcutta, to replace the Trade Commission which had existed in the city since 1939. Like the Bombay post, the Deputy High Commission was downgraded to a consulate-general on 13 May 1973, before being closed in April 1976 due to budget constraints.[59][58]

Name Start of term End of term References
Douglas Sturkey (DHC) 18 June 1970 6 June 1972 [68]
Brian Meade (DHC/CG) 6 June 1972 12 February 1975
Rodney Hodgson 12 February 1975 30 April 1976
Consulate closed
Andrew Ford 10 January 2019 April 2021 [69][70]
Rowan Ainsworth 14 April 2021 January 2024 [71]
Hugh Boylan January 2024 Current [72]

Chennai

In 2023 Chennai received a new Consul General (name TBC). The departure of Sarah Kirlew was seen as a sad day.

Name Start of term End of term References
Aminur Rahman January 2007 July 2010 [73]
David Holly July 2010 January 2014 [73]
Sean Kelly January 2014 November 2017 [74]
Susan Grace November 2017 March 2021 [75]
Sarah Kirlew March 2021 date [76]

References

  1. ↑ CA 2754: Australian High Commission, India [New Delhi]. National Archives of Australia.
  2. ↑ Australia and Bhutan Establish Diplomatic Relations(15 September 2002).
  3. ↑ Emissaries of Trade: A History of the Australian Trade Commissioner Service{{#if:Schedvin|, Schedvin}. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade(2008). ISBN 978-1-921244-57-5
  4. ↑ High Commissioner to India: Australia to have representative. Daily Commercial News and Shipping List(26 October 1943).
  5. ↑ Embassy to open in Nepal. The Canberra Times(16 March 1984).
  6. ↑ Opening of new Australian diplomatic missions. Australian Foreign Affairs Record({Template:Date).
  7. ↑ Ambassador to Nepal. Australian Foreign Affairs Record({Template:Date).
  8. ↑ Australia's 21st High Commissioner to India presents his credentials(21 May 2020). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Presentation of Credentials by Ambassadors-designate of Pakistan, Australia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Canada, Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Slovenia(7 October 2022). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  10. ↑ Nearer to India: Evatt. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertsider(2 November 1943).
  11. ↑ Australian High Commissioners in India and New Zealand. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  12. ↑ Representation - Australian Representation Overseas. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  13. ↑ MACKAY IN INDIA. The Daily Telegraph(15 March 1944).
  14. ↑ Mr. C. Kevin for Indonesia. The Canberra Times(6 January 1953).
  15. ↑ DEPARTMENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS.. Commonwealth of Australia Gazette(16 December 1948).
  16. ↑ Appointed High Commissioner to India. The Argus(6 October 1948).
  17. ↑ Representation - Australian Representation Overseas. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  18. ↑ MR. GOLLAN FOR POST IN INDIA. The Canberra Times(19 October 1948).
  19. ↑ High Commissioner to India. Newcastle Herald and Miner’s Advocate(15 March 1952).
  20. ↑ Representation - Australian Representation Overseas. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  21. ↑ Representation - Australian Representation Overseas. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  22. ↑ High Commissioner to India. The Canberra Times(4 February 1955).
  23. ↑ Australian High Commissioner to India. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  24. ↑ Representation - Australian Representation Overseas. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  25. ↑ Australian High Commissioner to India. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  26. ↑ Representation - Australian Representation Overseas. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  27. ↑ Australian Ambassador to Nepal. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  28. ↑ Representation - Australian Representation Overseas. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  29. ↑ William Pritchett: From diplomat to head of Defence Department. The Sydney Morning Herald(8 February 2014).
  30. ↑ Australian gift parcels in India. The Canberra Times(11 January 1963).
  31. ↑ Representation - Australian Representation Overseas. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  32. ↑ Sir James Plimsoll for India. The Canberra Times(22 February 1963).
  33. ↑ Appointment of Australian High Commissioner to India(21 February 1963). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  34. ↑ Department of External Affairs: Appointments. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  35. ↑ Representation - Australian Representation Overseas. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  36. ↑ Mr Patrick Shaw to India. The Canberra Times(2 March 1970).
  37. ↑ Australian High Commissioner in India(1 March 1970). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  38. ↑ Representation - Australian Representation Overseas. Current Notes on International Affairs({Template:Date).
  39. ↑ Senior Australian diplomatic appointments(26 September 1973). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  40. ↑ High Commissioner's application for leave(20 November 1975). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  41. ↑ Appointment of High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to Nepal(26 February 1976). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  42. ↑ High Commissioner to India(5 December 1979). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  43. ↑ Feakes named for India post. The Canberra Times(1 June 1984).
  44. ↑ Diplomatic appointment - India and Nepal(31 May 1984). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  45. ↑ Diplomatic Appointment - India(7 September 1990). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  46. ↑ Diplomatic appointment: India(14 December 1993). Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  47. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  48. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  49. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  50. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  51. ↑ Australia appoints new High Commissioner to India.
  52. ↑ Career diplomat Patrick Suckling to head New Delhi mission. The Australian(30 December 2012).
  53. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  54. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  55. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  56. ↑ BTS 2021: Australian PM announces consulate office, centre of excellence in Bengaluru. The Hindu(18 November 2021). Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  57. ↑ Australia seeks to establish new Consulate General in Bengaluru: Scott Morrison(17 November 2021). Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 Foreign Affairs: Reduction of Expenditure. Australian Foreign Affairs Record({Template:Date).
  59. ↑ 59.00 59.01 59.02 59.03 59.04 59.05 59.06 59.07 59.08 59.09 59.10 59.11 59.12 59.13 CA 8015: Australian Consulate-General, Mumbai [India]. National Archives of Australia.
  60. ↑ TRADE COMMISSION SERVICE. Dalgety's Review(14 December 1939).
  61. ↑ TRADE COMMISSIONS. Cairns Post(2 March 1945).
  62. ↑ Consul-General in San Francisco. Australian Foreign Affairs Record({Template:Date).
  63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 Template:Cite press release
  64. ↑ Consul-General in Mumbai, 13 June 2013, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs(14 June 2013). Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  65. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  66. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  67. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  68. ↑ Diplomatic appointments. Australian Foreign Affairs Record({Template:Date).
  69. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  70. ↑ Meet Andrew Ford, the consul general of the recently reopened Australian consulate general in Calcutta(22 May 2019). Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  71. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  72. ↑ [1].
  73. ↑ 73.0 73.1 Template:Cite press release
  74. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  75. ↑ Template:Cite press release
  76. ↑ Template:Cite press release

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Template:Lists of heads of Australian diplomatic missions Template:Ambassadors and High Commissioners to India

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