High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Australia
Coat of arms of the United Kingdom
Incumbent
Victoria Treadell
since March 2019
StyleHer Excellency
ResidenceCanberra
Inaugural holderSir Geoffrey Whiskard
Formation1936
WebsiteBritish High Commission Canberra

The High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Australia is an officer of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative to the Commonwealth of Australia. Despite Britain's close relationship with Australia, the first High Commissioner from London was not appointed until 1936, owing to the clarification of Britain's relations with the Imperial Dominions after the Statute of Westminster 1931.

Office history

From the beginning of the British colonisation in 1788 and after Australia's federation in 1901, the Governor-General of Australia and the various state governors had been the official representatives of the British government, as well as the Crown. Following the 1926 Imperial Conference and the subsequent Balfour Declaration an Australian, Sir Isaac Isaacs, became Governor-General in January 1931. Being an Australian, it was felt in London he couldn't properly represent the British Government. They thus appointed their Representative for Migration in Melbourne Ernest Tristram Crutchley as their first Representative of His Majesty's Government in Australia, pending the nomination of a High Commissioner, on the Canadian model.

That same year, the Statute of Westminster made easier the creation of such High Commissions in the Dominions but as the Australian Government delayed its ratification, the United Kingdom had to wait until 1936 to appoint a High Commissioner to regularise the role of the Governor-General in Australia, six years before Australia's actual ratification of the Statute.

Office-holders

The British high commission in Canberra
High commissionerStart of termEnd of term
Sir Geoffrey Whiskard, KCB, KCMG19361941
Sir Ronald Cross, 1st Baronet, KCMG, KCVO, PC19411945
Sir Ted Williams, KCMG, PC19461952
Sir Stephen Holmes, KCMG, MC19521956
The Lord Carrington, KG, GCMG, CH, MC, PC, DL19561959
Lieutenant General Sir William Oliver, GBE, KCB, KCMG19591965
Sir Charles Johnston, GCMG, KStJ19651971
Sir Morrice James, GCMG, CVO, MBE, PC19711976
Sir Donald Tebbit, GCMG19761980
Sir John Mason, KCMG19801984
Sir John Leahy, KCMG19841988
Sir John Coles, GCMG19881991
Sir Brian Barder, KCMG19911994
Sir Roger Carrick, KCMG, LVO19941997
Sir Alex Allan, KCB19971999
The Lord Goodlad, KCMG, PC19992005
The Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke, PC20052009
The Baroness Amos, LG, CH, PC20092010
Paul Madden, CMG[1]20112015
Menna Rawlings, DCMG[2]20152019
Victoria Treadell, CMG, MVO[3]2019

References

  1. ↑ "British Australia Chamber of Commerce - New British High Commissioner appointed". Retrieved 6 June 2011.
  2. ↑ "Her Excellency Menna Rawlings CMG". gov.uk.
  3. ↑ "Change of British High Commissioner to Australia: March 2019". GOV.UK. Foreign & Commonwealth Office. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
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