List of ambassadors of Australia to France

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Ambassador of Australia to France
Incumbent
Gillian Bird PSM
since 5 November 2020
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
StyleHer Excellency
Reports toMinister for Foreign Affairs
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]

Gillian Bird PSM was appointed ambassador in November 2020. France and Australia have had official diplomatic relations since Australia opened its Legation in Paris in 1945.[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[edit]

The first official representative of Australia in France was Clive H. Voss, who was appointed as a commercial agent in Paris in 1919. His appointment was made on the personal initiative of Prime Minister Billy Hughes, in line with his attempts to establish a system of trade commissioners.[6] Voss established an office in the premises of the British Chamber of Commerce in Paris and was subordinate to the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.[7] Despite criticism of his effectiveness, he remained in the position until the Fall of France in 1940 and "helped establish the idea of a distinct Australian official representation in France as a norm".[8]

Minister and ambassadors to France[edit]

Ordinal Officeholder Title Other offices 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 [9][10][11]
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 [12]
3 Alfred Stirling CBE 1955 (1955) 1959 (1959) 3–4 years [13]
4 Sir Edward Ronald Walker CBE 1969 (1969) 1968 (1968) 8–9 years
5 Alan Renouf OBE C 1969 (1969) 1973 (1973) 3–4 years [14]
6 Harold David Anderson C 1973 (1973) 1978 (1978) 4–5 years [15]
7 John Rowland AO E 1978 (1978) 1982 (1982) 3–4 years [16]
8 Peter Curtis E 1982 (1982) 1987 (1987) 4–5 years [17]
9 Ted Pocock AM CE 1987 (1987) 1991 (1991) 3–4 years
10 Clive Jones AE 1991 (1991) 1993 (1993) 1–2 years [18]
11 Alan Brown ACE 1993 (1993) 1996 (1996) 2–3 years
12 John Spender KC AE 1996 (1996) 2000 (2000) 3–4 years [19]
13 Bill Fisher BE 2000 (2000) 2005 (2005) 4–5 years [20]
14 Penny Wensley AO BDE 2005 (2005) 2008 (2008) 2–3 years [21]
15 David Ritchie AO BD 2008 (2008) 2011 (2011) 2–3 years [22]
16 Ric Wells BD 2011 (2011) 2014 (2014) 2–3 years [23]
17 Stephen Brady AO, CVO ABD 31 March 2014 (2014-03-31) 21 July 2017 (2017-07-21) 3 years, 112 days [24]
18 Brendan Berne ABD 21 July 2017 (2017-07-21) October 2020 (2020-10) 3 years, 2 months [25]
19 Gillian Bird PSM ABD 5 November 2020 (2020-11-05) incumbent 3 years, 212 days [26][27]

Ambassadors to Algeria[edit]

Main article: List of ambassadors of Australia to Algeria

Notes[edit]

A.^ Also non-resident Ambassador to the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, 1991–2000, 2014–present.
B.^ Also non-resident Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, 2001–present.
C.^ Also Permanent Delegate of Australia to UNESCO, October 1972–August 1975, October 1976–August 1978, January 1988–September 1990, and March 1994–September 1996.
D.^ Also non-resident Ambassador to the Principality of Monaco, 3 May 2007–present.
E.^ Also non-resident Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, 1978–2007.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  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. ^ Nettelbeck, Colin (2018). "Beyond the Sheep's Back: World War I and its aftermath in the development of an economic relationship between Australia and France" (PDF). French-Australian Shared Histories Symposium 2018. p. 8 – via National Archives of Australia.
  7. ^ Nettelbeck 2018, p. 10.
  8. ^ Nettelbeck 2018, pp. 12–13.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ Watt, Alan (1983). "Hodgson, William Roy (1892–1958)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 9. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  11. ^ "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
  12. ^ "Ambassador". Goulburn Evening Post. NSW. 1 March 1950. p. 5.
  13. ^ "New Ambassador to Philippines Appointed". The Canberra Times. ACT. 19 February 1959. p. 3.
  14. ^ "Renouf to FA". The Canberra Times. ACT. 29 August 1973. p. 1.
  15. ^ "Envoy for Paris". The Canberra Times. ACT. 20 November 1973. p. 8.
  16. ^ "Ambassador". The Canberra Times. ACT. 7 October 1978. p. 3.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "New ambassador". The Canberra Times. ACT. 31 May 1991. p. 14.
  19. ^ Downer, Alexander (19 July 1996). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to France" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014.
  20. ^ Downer, Alexander (18 August 2000). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to the French Republic" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015.
  21. ^ Downer, Alexander (14 January 2005). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to the French Republic" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015.
  22. ^ Smith, Stephen (10 January 2008). "Diplomatic Appointment – Ambassador to France" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015.
  23. ^ Rudd, Kevin (23 May 2011). "Diplomatic Appointment – Ambassador to France" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014.
  24. ^ Bishop, Julie (31 March 2014). "Ambassador to France" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 2 August 2014.
  25. ^ "Ambassador to France". Minister for Foreign Affairs. 21 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  26. ^ "Where are they now? Gillian Bird (1975)". Pymble Ladies' College, Sydney. n.d. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  27. ^ "Presentation of Credentials by New Australian Ambassador to France, H.E. Gillian Bird PSM". Australia France Business Association. November 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.

External links[edit]

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