List of Australian special interests Ambassadors and Envoys

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Australian special interests Ambassadors and Envoys are specially-appointed officers of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to represent the interests of the Commonwealth of Australia abroad on a larger scale (such as by continent) or through representing the Commonwealth's approach to various international issues. While the special interest Ambassadors-at-Large are appointed in the same manner as would a normal Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, they are not credentialed to any state and thus have no treaty-making powers. Special Envoys are typically appointed by the Prime Minister of Australia.

Contents

Special interests ambassadors

Ambassadors for Counter-Terrorism

#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeNotes
1 Nick Warner 20 March 200314 August 2003147 days [1]
2Les Luck14 August 200320 July 20062 years, 340 days [2]
3Mike Smith20 July 20065 September 20082 years, 47 days [3]
4 Bill Paterson 5 September 200814 March 20134 years, 190 days [4]
5Bill Fisher14 March 201318 May 20141 year, 65 days [5]
6Miles Armitage18 May 201421 July 20162 years, 64 days [6]
7Paul Foley21 July 201618 February 20214 years, 212 days [7]
8 Roger Noble 18 February 20219 February 20231 year, 356 days [8]
9 Richard Feakes 22 May 2023Incumbent1 year, 75 days [9]

Ambassadors for the Environment

#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeNotes
1 Sir Ninian Stephen 198919922–3 years
2 Penelope Wensley 1992January 19963–4 years
3Howard BamseyJanuary 1996September 19971 year, 8 months [10]
4Meg McDonaldSeptember 1997November 19981 year, 2 months [11]
5Ralph HillmanNovember 1998March 20023 years, 4 months [12]
6Christopher LangmanMarch 2002February 20041 year, 11 months [13]
7 Justin Brown October 2004January 20053 months [14]
8 Jan Adams January 200520071–2 years [15]
Role merged with the Ambassador for Climate Change
9 Peter Woolcott November 201429 February 20161 year, 3 months [16]
10Patrick Suckling29 February 201618 November 20193 years, 263 days [17]
11Jamie Isbister18 November 2019Incumbent4 years, 261 days [18]

Ambassadors for Climate Change

#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeNotes
1 Jan Adams 2007February 20091–2 years
2 Louise Hand February 200913 May 20123 years, 3 months [19]
3 Justin Lee 13 May 20121 November 20142 years, 172 days [20]
Role merged with the Ambassador for the Environment
4 Kristin Tilley 9 November 2022Incumbent1 year, 270 days [21]

Ambassadors for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology

#OfficeholderTitleTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeNotes
1Tobias FeakinAmbassador for Cyber Affairs10 November 2016January 20207 years, 269 days [22] [23]
Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical TechnologyJanuary 2020Incumbent

Ambassadors for Regional Health Security

#OfficeholderTitleTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeNotes
1Murray ProctorAmbassador for HIV/AIDSDecember 2007May 20124 years, 5 months [24]
2James GillingAmbassador for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria3 October 201213 June 20174 years, 253 days [24]
3Blair ExellAmbassador for Regional Health Security13 June 20173 March 20202 years, 264 days [25]
4Stephanie Williams3 March 2020Incumbent4 years, 155 days [26]

Ambassador for People Smuggling and Human Trafficking

#OfficeholderTitleTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeNotes
1John BuckleyAmbassador for People Smuggling IssuesApril 200230 July 20031 year, 3 months [27]
2 Caroline Millar 30 July 200319 December 20052 years, 142 days [28]
3 Lydia Morton 19 December 2005January 20071 year [29]
4 Michael Potts January 2007June 20092 years, 5 months [30]
5 Peter Woolcott June 2009February 20108 months [31]
6 James Larsen February 201027 May 20122 years, 3 months [32]
7Craig Chittick27 May 2012December 20142 years, 188 days [32]
8Andrew GoledzinowskiDecember 201419 October 20172 years, 10 months [33]
9Geoffrey ShawAmbassador for People Smuggling and Human Trafficking19 October 201722 May 20202 years, 216 days [34]
10Lucienne Manton22 May 2020Incumbent4 years, 75 days [35]

Ambassadors for Gender Equality

#OfficeholderTitleTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeNotes
1 Penny Williams Ambassador for Women and Girls13 September 201116 December 20132 years, 94 days [36]
2 Natasha Stott Despoja 16 December 201321 November 20162 years, 341 days [37]
3 Sharman Stone 21 November 20168 March 20203 years, 108 days [38]
4 Julie-Ann Guivarra Ambassador for Gender Equality8 March 20201 October 20211 year, 207 days [39]
5Christine ClarkeAmbassador for Women and Girls31 January 202220 December 2022323 days [40]
6 Stephanie Copus-Campbell Ambassador for Gender Equality20 December 2022Incumbent1 year, 229 days [41] [42]

Ambassadors for Human Rights

#OfficeholderTitleTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeNotes
1 Phillip Ruddock Special Envoy for Human Rights8 February 2016October 20171 year, 7 months [43]
Post abolished
2 Bronte Moules Ambassador for Human RightsTBDIncoming [42] [44]

Special Envoys

Parliamentarians

Special Envoy for the Arts

#OfficeholderPartyTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Susan Templeman MP Labor 1 June 2022Incumbent2 years, 65 days [45]

Special Envoy for Citizenship and Community Engagement

#OfficeholderPartyTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Philip Ruddock MP Liberal 28 May 20159 May 2016347 days [46]

Special Envoy for Cyber Security and Digital Resilience

#OfficeholderPartyTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Andrew Charlton MP Labor 29 July 2024Incumbent7 days [47]

Special Envoy for Defence and Veterans' Affairs

#OfficeholderPartyTitleTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Luke Gosling MP Labor Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans' Affairs and Northern Australia29 July 2024Incumbent7 days [47]

Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery

#OfficeholderPartyTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1Senator Tony Sheldon Labor 24 July 2022Incumbent2 years, 12 days [48]

Special Envoy for Drought Assistance and Recovery

#OfficeholderPartyTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Barnaby Joyce MP National 11 September 201829 May 2019260 days [49]

Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef

#OfficeholderPartyTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Warren Entsch MP Liberal National [lower-alpha 1] 29 May 201911 April 20222 years, 317 days
2Senator Nita Green Labor 1 June 2022Incumbent2 years, 65 days [50]
  1. Entsch sat in the Liberal party room.

Special Envoy for Indigenous Affairs

#OfficeholderPartyTitleTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Tony Abbott MP Liberal Special Envoy for Indigenous Affairs29 August 201818 May 2019262 days [51]
2Senator Pat Dodson Labor Special Envoy for Reconciliation and Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart 1 June 202226 January 20241 year, 239 days [50]

Special Envoy for Northern Australia

#OfficeholderPartyTitleTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1Senator Susan McDonald Liberal National [lower-alpha 1] Special Envoy for Northern Australia27 June 202123 May 2022330 days [52]
2 Luke Gosling MP Labor Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans' Affairs and Northern Australia29 July 2024Incumbent7 days [47]
  1. Entsch sat in the National party room.

Special Envoy for Social Cohesion

#OfficeholderPartyTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Peter Khalil MP Labor 29 July 2024Incumbent7 days [47]

Special Envoy for Trade

#OfficeholderPartyTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Andrew Robb MP Liberal 18 February 20169 May 201681 days [53]

Others

Diplomatic

Special Envoy to Africa
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Malcolm Fraser 199619992–3 years [54]
2 Bob McMullan 201020121–2 years [55]
3 Joanna Hewitt 20122012Un­known [56] [57]
Special Envoy to Bhutan
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Tim Fischer c.2011Un­knownUn­known [56] [58]
Special Envoy to Central Asia
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1Peter Tesch201020121–2 years [56] [59]
Special Envoy to Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Caucasus
#OfficeholderTitleTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Malcolm Fraser Special Envoy to Yugoslavia19 April 19991999Un­known [60]
2 Russell Trood Special Envoy to Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Caucasus31 July 201120120–1 years [61]
3 Angus Houston Special Envoy to Ukraine21 July 20142014Un­known [62] [63]
Special Envoy to Eritrea, Rwanda and South Sudan
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Tim Fischer c.2011Un­knownUn­known [56] [58]
Special Envoy to Francophone countries and La Francophonie
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1Bill Fisher201020132–3 years [55] [56]
Special Envoy to Latin America and the Caribbean
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 John McCarthy c.20112012Un­known [56] [64]
Special Envoy to Lusophone countries
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1Neil Mulesc.20112012Un­known [56]
Special Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Ahmed Fahour 29 June 2011Un­knownUn­known [65] [66]
Special Envoy for the Pacific and Regional Affairs
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1Ewen McDonald3 July 2023Incumbent1 year, 33 days [67]
Special Envoy for Southeast Asia
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1Nicholas Moore12 November 2022Incumbent1 year, 267 days [68]
Special Envoy to Sri Lanka
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 John McCarthy 2 November 2009Un­knownUn­known [69]

Issues

Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Jillian Segal 9 July 2024Incumbent27 days [70]
Special Envoy for Operation Sovereign Borders
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Jim Molan 27 September 201315 August 2014322 days [71]
Special Envoy on Whale Conservation
#OfficeholderTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeRef
1 Sandy Hollway 200820090–1 years [72] [73]

See also

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