The Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong and Macao represents the Commonwealth of Australia in Hong Kong,and is also accredited to Macau. As Hong Kong was linked to the Commonwealth during British administration,Australia's diplomatic presence was exercised by an Australian Commission,until 1 January 1986,when it was renamed the Australian Consulate-General.[1] From 1946 to 1972,Australia was represented by the Australian Trade Commission.
An Australian Trade Commission in Hong Kong was originally signposted by the Australian Government of Joseph Lyons in the early 1930s. On 30 August 1933 the Minister for Commerce,Frederick Stewart,secured Cabinet approval for the establishment of several Trade Commissions in the East,with Batavia and Hong Kong being the most likely locations.[3] However a decision to appoint a commissioner was delayed pending the report of Attorney General and Minister for External Affairs John Latham's fact-finding mission to the Far East,which found a dire need for Australian trade representative to improve mercantile connections in the region.[4] While in Hong Kong,Latham was impressed by the representations from the Australian community there of "the wretched lack of co-ordination in the shipping services from Australia."[5]
However,the Trade Commission was not established until 1946. This served to represent Australian interests in Hong Kong in the absence of a formal diplomatic post.[6] However,the Department of External Affairs had offices within the Trade Commission.[7]
In 1972,the Trade Commission was upgraded and renamed the Australian Commission,[8] which allowed the office to undertake various semi-diplomatic and consular functions. This change meant that the Commission was no longer under the purview of the Department of Trade and Industry and was now the responsibility of the Department of Foreign Affairs.[9]
From 1 January 1986,the Commission was renamed the Consulate-General,bringing it into line with other Australian missions elsewhere,with Penny Wensley as the first Consul-General.[10][1] By contrast,other Commonwealth countries,such as Singapore,continued to style their missions Commissions until the transfer of sovereignty to the People's Republic of China in 1997.[11]
In February 2020,Deputy Consul General Ryan Neelam was made the acting Consul General.
In October 2020,Elizabeth Ward was announced as Australia's new Consul-General to Hong Kong and Macau following visa delays,which was attributed to political tensions between Australia and China.[14] The official residence of the Consul-General at Deep Water Bay was burgled,however nothing was reportedly stolen.[15]
The British Consulate General Hong Kong (BCGHK),located at 1 Supreme Court Road,Admiralty,Hong Kong Island,is one of the largest British consulates general in the world and is bigger than many British embassies and high commissions. It is responsible for maintaining British ties with Hong Kong and Macau.
There are 123 diplomatic missions in Hong Kong,of which 62 are consulates-general and 61 are consulates and six officially recognised bodies in Hong Kong. As Hong Kong has the status of a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China,some consuls-general in Hong Kong report directly to their respective foreign ministries,rather than to their Embassies in Beijing.
The Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao represents Canada in the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China. As Hong Kong was linked to the Commonwealth during British administration,Canada's mission was called the Canadian Commission before the transfer of sovereignty to China on July 1,1997. Since 1980,the Head of Mission in Hong Kong has also served as Consul-General to Macau.
The ambassador and permanent representative of Australia to the United Nations Office in Geneva is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the delegation of the Commonwealth of Australia to the United Nations Office in Geneva,Switzerland,and also as permanent representative of Australia to the Conference on Disarmament.
The Australian Consulate-General in Noumea,New Caledonia represents the Commonwealth of Australia in New Caledonia,a special collectivity of France,and is also accredited to the Pacific French Overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna. The Consul-General also serves as Australia's representative to the Noumea-based Pacific Community. The Consulate-General,one of four in New Caledonia,has since 1976 had its offices at 19 avenue du Maréchal Foch,Nouméa.
The Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai represents the Commonwealth of Australia in Shanghai,the most populous city and a global financial centre in the People's Republic of China. The Consulate-General,one of many in Shanghai,has its offices in the CITIC Square building,1168 Nanjing Road West.
↑ Home. Australian Consulate-General Hong Kong. Retrieved on 18 May 2019. "23/F Harbour Centre 25 Harbour Road Wanchai Hong Kong SAR" - Address in Traditional Chinese: "香港灣仔港灣道25號海港中心23樓"
↑ Schevdin, Boris (2008). Emissaries of trade: a history of the Australian Trade Commissioner Service. Barton, ACT: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. p.47.
↑ Bishop, Julie. "Consul-General in Hong Kong". Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original(Media Release) on 4 June 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
1Consuls general that report directly to their respective foreign ministries instead of their respective Beijing Embassy
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
