List of high commissioners of Australia to Nauru

Last updated

High Commissioner of Australia to Nauru
Coat of Arms of Australia.svg
Helen Cheney, official portrait as Australian High Commissioner to Nauru (2021).jpg
Incumbent
Helen Cheney
since September 2021
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Style Her Excellency
Reports to Minister for Foreign Affairs
Residence Aiwo District
Nominator Prime Minister of Australia
Appointer Governor General of Australia
Inaugural holderJames Jackson
(Representative)
Formation26 August 1968
Website Australian High Commission, Republic of Nauru

The high commissioner of Australia to Nauru is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the High Commission of the Commonwealth of Australia in Nauru. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is currently by Helen Cheney since September 2021. Australia is one of only two countries to have a resident diplomatic mission in Nauru, the other being the embassy of Taiwan.

Contents

Posting history

With the end of the Australian trusteeship administration and the formal independence of Nauru on 31 January 1968, the Australian Government appointed a Representative to the small island nation. [1] With the establishment of a resident Australian High Commission on Nauru's admission to the Commonwealth of Nations in 1972, the position also had responsibility as the Commissioner for the Gilbert and Ellice Islands (1972–1976) and the Gilbert Islands (1976–1979), and then as the non-resident accredited high commissioner to Kiribati from 1979. In 1981, The Australian Government announced that it would open a resident High Commission in Kiribati, which was achieved in August 1982. [2]

In January 1975, Alan Fogg was appointed Commissioner in Nauru, and also as non-resident commissioner to the Solomon Islands. With the independence of the Solomon Islands in 1978, the resident Australian High Commission was established on 7 July 1978. In December 1981, career diplomat Rodney Hodgson was announced as the next high commissioner to Nauru. However a few weeks later he was killed in a car accident, before he could take up his appointment. [3] [4] [5]

When the new Commonwealth government of Prime Minister John Howard cut the budget of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1996–97, forcing the closure of the High Commission in Nauru, in July 1997, accreditation for Nauru was transferred to the high commission in Suva, Fiji. [6] From 1997 to 2009, the position of high commissioner was held by the high commissioner resident in Fiji. A Consulate-General in Nauru was opened in 2002, which was subsequently upgraded to a High Commission on 4 August 2009. [1] [7]

Heads of mission

#OfficeholderTitleOther officesResidencyTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeNotes
1James JacksonRepresentativen/a Aiwo District 26 August 196810 September 19702 years, 15 days [8]
2Richard Gate10 September 19706 September 19721 year, 362 days [9] [10]
−K. R. Fraser (Acting)6 September 1972November 19721 month [11]
3Leslie SellarsHigh Commissioner A November 1972December 19742 years, 1 month [12]
4 Alan Fogg A B January 1975May 19772 years, 4 months [13]
5 Maris King A B May 1977July 19792 years, 2 months [14] [15] [16]
6Oliver Cordell A July 1979September 19823 years, 2 months [17]
7Ross Smithn/aSeptember 1982July 19841 year, 10 months [18] [19]
−David Wadham (Acting)July 1984September 19851 year, 2 months [1]
8John PowysJanuary 1986January 19882 years [20]
9Beris GwynneJanuary 1988January 19902 years [21]
10Barry WybornJanuary 1990February 19922 years, 1 month [22]
11Denis FitzgeraldFebruary 1992March 19953 years, 1 month [23]
12Tom SinkovitsMarch 199518 July 19972 years, 4 months [24]
13 Greg Urwin Suva, Fiji 18 July 1997July 19991 year, 11 months [25]
14Susan BoydJuly 1999July 20034 years [26]
15Jennifer RawsonJuly 2003January 20073 years, 6 months [27]
16James BatleyJanuary 20072 August 20092 years, 7 months [28] [29] [30]
17George Fraser C Aiwo District2 August 2009November 20101 year, 2 months [31] [32]
18Bruce Cowledn/aNovember 2010February 20143 years, 3 months [33]
19Martin QuinnFebruary 2014December 20151 year, 10 months [34]
20John DonnellyDecember 2015December 20172 years [35]
21Angela TierneyDecember 2017May 20213 years, 5 months [36]
−Andrew Hodges (Acting)May 2021September 20214 months
22Helen CheneySeptember 2021Incumbent2 years, 11 months [37] [38]

Notes

^A Also non-resident Commissioner to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands (1972–1976), Commissioner to the Gilbert Islands (1976–1979), and as High Commissioner to Kiribati (1979–1982).
^B Also non-resident Commissioner to the Solomon Islands, 1975–1978.
^C Prior to appointment as High Commissioner, served as resident Special Representative and Consul-General from 11 October 2005 until 2 August 2009.

References

  1. 1 2 3 CA 7160: Australian High Commission, Nauru, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 9 May 2015
  2. ↑ Street, Tony (16 August 1981). "HIGH COMMISSION IN KIRIBATI" (Press release). Australian Government.
  3. ↑ "Envoys appointed". The Canberra Times. 2 December 1981. p. 3.
  4. ↑ "Diplomat killed". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 December 1981. p. 1.
  5. ↑ "Woman cricketer, father killed". The Canberra Times. 20 December 1981. p. 1.
  6. ↑ "Corporate Overview - Overseas Posts". Annual Report 1996/1997 (259). Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: 21. 1997. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  7. ↑ Downer, Alexander (13 May 2003). "Continuation of Australia's Temporary Presence in Nauru". Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 13 October 2003. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "Representation - Australian Representation Overseas". Current Notes on International Affairs. 39 (8). Department of External Affairs: 358. August 1968. Retrieved 24 November 2022– via National Library of Australia (Trove).
  9. ↑ "Diplomatic appointments". Current Notes on International Affairs. 41 (8). Department of External Affairs: 442. August 1970. Retrieved 24 November 2022– via National Library of Australia (Trove).
  10. ↑ "Representation - Australian Representation Overseas". Current Notes on International Affairs. 41 (9). Department of External Affairs: 513. September 1970. Retrieved 24 November 2022– via National Library of Australia (Trove).
  11. ↑ "Representation - Australian Representation Overseas". Current Notes on International Affairs. 43 (9). Department of Foreign Affairs: 481. September 1972. Retrieved 24 November 2022– via National Library of Australia (Trove).
  12. ↑ "Australian Representation—Nauru". Current Notes on International Affairs. 43 (11). Department of Foreign Affairs: 585. November 1972. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  13. ↑ "New Man in Nauru". Pacific Islands Monthly. 46 (2): 13. February 1975. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  14. ↑ "Diplomatic Appointments". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 48 (1). Department of Foreign Affairs: 51. January 1977. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  15. ↑ "Australian Representation Overseas". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 48 (5). Department of Foreign Affairs: 276. May 1977. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  16. ↑ "Foreign Affairs posting". The Canberra Times. 17 January 1977. p. 3.
  17. ↑ "Australian Representation Overseas". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 50 (7). Department of Foreign Affairs: 452. July 1979. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  18. ↑ "Commissioner to Nauru appointed". The Canberra Times. 24 August 1982. p. 3.
  19. ↑ Street, Tony (23 August 1982). "Diplomatic appointment: Nauru" (Media Release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Retrieved 24 November 2022– via ParlInfo.
  20. ↑ Hayden, Bill (31 December 1985). "Diplomatic appointment - Nauru" (Media Release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Retrieved 24 November 2022– via ParlInfo.
  21. ↑ Duffy, Michael (14 April 1988). "Diplomatic appointment - Nauru" (Media Release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Retrieved 24 November 2022– via ParlInfo.
  22. ↑ Evans, Gareth (30 November 1989). "Diplomatic Appointment: Nauru" (Media Release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Retrieved 24 November 2022– via ParlInfo.
  23. ↑ Blewett, Neal (19 December 1991). "Diplomatic appointment: Nauru" (Media Release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Retrieved 24 November 2022– via ParlInfo.
  24. ↑ Evans, Gareth (3 February 1995). "Diplomatic appointment: High Commissioner to the Republic of Nauru" (Media Release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Retrieved 24 November 2022– via ParlInfo.
  25. ↑ Evans, Gareth (10 March 1995). "Diplomatic appointment: Fiji and Tuvalu" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  26. ↑ Downer, Alexander (8 June 1999). "Diplomatic appointment: High Commissioner to Fiji" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  27. ↑ Downer, Alexander (29 May 2003). "Diplomatic appointment: High Commissioner to Fiji" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  28. ↑ Downer, Alexander (9 January 2007). "Diplomatic appointment – High Commissioner to Fiji" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 11 February 2014.
  29. ↑ Hayward-Jones, Jenny (4 November 2009). "Another diplomatic spat with Fiji". Lowy Interpreter. Lowy Institute for International Policy.
  30. ↑ Merritt, Chris (4 November 2009). "Fiji expels high commissioner". The Australian. News Ltd. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  31. ↑ Smith, Stephen (12 January 2010). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Nauru" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  32. ↑ "APPOINTMENT OF CONSUL-GENERAL AND SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR AUSTRALIA IN NAURU" (Media Release). Republic of Nauru Government Gazette. 12 October 2005. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
  33. ↑ Smith, Stephen (8 September 2010). "Diplomatic Appointment – High Commissioner to Nauru" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 1 April 2015.
  34. ↑ Bishop, Julie (13 February 2014). "High Commissioner to Nauru" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015.
  35. ↑ Bishop, Julie (26 November 2015). "High Commissioner to Nauru" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016.
  36. ↑ Bishop, Julie (27 November 2017). "High Commissioner to Nauru" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019.
  37. ↑ "Australian High Commissioner to Nauru presents credentials" (Press release). Australian Government. 7 October 2021.
  38. ↑ Payne, Marise (25 June 2021). "High Commissioner to Nauru". Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
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.