List of ambassadors of Australia to France

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Ambassador of Australia to France
Coat of Arms of Australia.svg
Gillian Bird.jpg
Incumbent
Gillian Bird PSM
since November 2020
StyleHis Excellency
NominatorPrime Minister of Australia
AppointerGovernor General of Australia
Inaugural holderColonel William Hodgson OBE
Formation11 March 1945
WebsiteAustralian Embassy, France

The Ambassador of Australia to France is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the French Republic. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and holds non-resident accreditation for Algeria, Mauritania (since 2001),[1] Monaco. From April 1976 to March 1991 there was a resident Ambassador in Algeria and has since been held by the ambassador, excepting a period from 1999–2002 when it was held by the Ambassador in Cairo.[2] From October 1972 – August 1975, October 1976 – August 1978, January 1988 – September 1990, and March 1994 – September 1996 the Ambassador served as Permanent Delegate of Australia to UNESCO, a role that is now held by the Deputy Head of Mission. The Deputy Head also serves as the non-resident accredited Ambassador to Chad. From 1978 to 2017, the ambassador had responsibility for relations with Morocco until the establishment of a resident embassy in Rabat.[3]

The Ambassador is currently Gillian Bird. France and Australia have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since 1945 when Australia opened its Legation in Paris.[4] The Legation was upgraded to Embassy status in 1948, when Colonel William Hodgson, who served as Minister to France, was appointed as Ambassador.[5]

List of officeholders

Minister and Ambassadors to France

Ordinal Officeholder Title Term start date Term end date Time in office Notes
1 Colonel William Hodgson OBE Minister to France 11 March 1945 (1945-03-11) 1948 (1948) 4 years, 7 months [6][7][8]
Ambassador of Australia to France 1948 (1948) November 1949 (1949-11)
2 Sir Keith Officer OBE, MC Ambassador of Australia to France 18 April 1950 (1950-04-18) 1955 (1955) 4–5 years [9]
3 Alfred Stirling CBE 1955 (1955) 1959 (1959) 3–4 years [10]
4 Sir Edward Ronald Walker CBE 1969 (1969) 1968 (1968) 8–9 years
5 Alan Renouf OBE 1969 (1969) 1973 (1973) 3–4 years [11]
6 Harold David Anderson 1973 (1973) 1978 (1978) 4–5 years [12]
7 John Rowland AO 1978 (1978) 1982 (1982) 3–4 years [13]
8 Peter Curtis 1982 (1982) 1987 (1987) 4–5 years [14]
9 Ted Pocock AM 1987 (1987) 1991 (1991) 3–4 years
10 Clive Jones 1991 (1991) 1993 (1993) 1–2 years [15]
11 Alan Brown 1993 (1993) 1996 (1996) 2–3 years
12 John Spender KC 1996 (1996) 2000 (2000) 3–4 years [16]
13 Bill Fisher 2000 (2000) 2005 (2005) 4–5 years [17]
14 Penny Wensley AO 2005 (2005) 2008 (2008) 2–3 years [18]
15 David Ritchie AO 2008 (2008) 2011 (2011) 2–3 years [19]
16 Ric Wells 2011 (2011) 2014 (2014) 2–3 years [20]
17 Stephen Brady AO, CVO 31 March 2014 (2014-03-31) 21 July 2017 (2017-07-21) 3 years, 112 days [21]
18 Brendan Berne 21 July 2017 (2017-07-21) October 2020 (2020-10) 3 years, 2 months [22]
19 Gillian Bird PSM November 2020 (2020-11) incumbent 3 years, 10 months [23]

Ambassadors to Algeria

Name Start of term End of term References
B.W. Woodberry (Chargé d'affaires 1975 1976
John Anthony Piper 1976 1979 [24]
John Brook 1979 1980
Michael McKeown 1980 1984 [25]
C. G. O'Hanlon 1984 1986
J. N. Skinner 1987 1989
M. P. F. Smith 1989 1991

See also

References

  1. ^ "Australia and Mauritania Establish Diplomatic Relations" (Media Release). Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer. DFAT. 13 December 2001. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  2. ^ CA 8166: Australian Embassy, Algeria [Algiers], National Archives of Australia, retrieved 25 January 2016
  3. ^ Bishop, Julie (12 May 2017). "Ambassador to Morocco". Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  4. ^ CA 2751: Australian Embassy, France [Paris], National Archives of Australia, retrieved 28 April 2015
  5. ^ "Legation at Moscow". Kalgoorlie Miner (WA : 1895 – 1950). WA: National Library of Australia. 3 May 1948. p. 4. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Colonel Hodgson New Minister to France". Army News (Darwin, NT : 1941 – 1946). Darwin, NT: National Library of Australia. 11 March 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  7. ^ Watt, Alan (1983). "Hodgson, William Roy (1892–1958)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 9. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 28 October 2022 – via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  8. ^ "Fact sheets: William Hodgson CMG OBE (1892– 1958)", Racism. No Way: Anti-racism education for Australian schools, NSW Government, archived from the original on 27 January 2014
  9. ^ "Ambassador". Goulburn Evening Post. NSW. 1 March 1950. p. 5.
  10. ^ "New Ambassador to Philippines Appointed". The Canberra Times. ACT. 19 February 1959. p. 3.
  11. ^ "Renouf to FA". The Canberra Times. ACT. 29 August 1973. p. 1.
  12. ^ "Envoy for Paris". The Canberra Times. ACT. 20 November 1973. p. 8.
  13. ^ "Ambassador". The Canberra Times. ACT. 7 October 1978. p. 3.
  14. ^ Campbell, Duncan (9 November 2013). "Skilled diplomat made the world his home". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014.
  15. ^ "New ambassador". The Canberra Times. ACT. 31 May 1991. p. 14.
  16. ^ Downer, Alexander (19 July 1996). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to France" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014.
  17. ^ Downer, Alexander (18 August 2000). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to the French Republic" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015.
  18. ^ Downer, Alexander (14 January 2005). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to the French Republic" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015.
  19. ^ Smith, Stephen (10 January 2008). "Diplomatic Appointment – Ambassador to France" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015.
  20. ^ Rudd, Kevin (23 May 2011). "Diplomatic Appointment – Ambassador to France" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014.
  21. ^ Bishop, Julie (31 March 2014). "Ambassador to France" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 2 August 2014.
  22. ^ "Ambassador to France". Minister for Foreign Affairs. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  23. ^ "Where are they now? Gillian Bird (1975)". www.pymblelc.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  24. ^ "Ambassador". The Canberra Times. 19 February 1976. p. 3.
  25. ^ "Diplomatic postings". The Canberra Times. 1 August 1980. p. 7.

External links

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