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

Minister and ambassadors to France

OrdinalOfficeholderTitleOther officesTerm start dateTerm end dateTime in officeNotes
1 Colonel William Hodgson OBE Minister to France 11 March 1945 1948 4 years, 7 months [6][7][8]
Ambassador of Australia to France 1948 November 1949
2 Sir Keith Officer OBE, MC Ambassador of Australia to France 18 April 1950 1955 4–5 years [9]
3 Alfred Stirling CBE 1955 1959 3–4 years [10]
4 Sir Edward Ronald Walker CBE 1969 1968 8–9 years
5 Alan Renouf OBE C 1969 1973 3–4 years [11]
6 Harold David Anderson C 1973 1978 4–5 years [12]
7 John Rowland AO E 1978 1982 3–4 years [13]
8 Peter Curtis E 1982 1987 4–5 years [14]
9 Ted Pocock AM CE 1987 1991 3–4 years
10 Clive Jones AE 1991 1993 1–2 years [15]
11 Alan Brown ACE 1993 1996 2–3 years
12 John Spender KC AE 1996 2000 3–4 years [16]
13 Bill Fisher BE 2000 2005 4–5 years [17]
14 Penny Wensley AO BDE 2005 2008 2–3 years [18]
15 David Ritchie AO BD 2008 2011 2–3 years [19]
16 Ric Wells BD 2011 2014 2–3 years [20]
17 Stephen Brady AO, CVO ABD 31 March 2014 21 July 2017 3 years, 112 days [21]
18 Brendan Berne ABD 21 July 2017 October 2020 3 years, 2 months [22]
19 Gillian Bird PSM ABD 5 November 2020 incumbent 3 years, 54 days [23][24]

Ambassadors to Algeria

Notes

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

References

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