His Excellency
Brendan Berne
Australian Ambassador to France
In office
21 July 2017 – October 2020
Preceded byStephen Brady
Succeeded byGillian Bird
Australian Ambassador for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
In office
5 August 2015 – 22 March 2017
Preceded bySam Gerovich
Succeeded bySimon Newnham
Personal details
EducationModel Farms

Brendan Berne is an Australian civil servant and diplomat who served as the Australian Ambassador to France, Algeria, Mauritania, and Monaco between July 2017 to October 2020.[1][2]

He previously served as Chief of Staff for the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.[3] His career has spanned postings within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Reserve Bank of Australia.[3] In December 2017, following the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia, he proposed to his partner of 11 years.[4][5] A video of the proposal went viral in France.[2]

He retired from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade following his post as Australian Ambassador to France and is writing a TV comedy about the diplomatic circuit described as “In the Thick of It in a safari suit”. [6]

References

  1. ^ "Ambassador to France". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Press Release). Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 21 July 2017. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Seducing the French: tricks of the trade from our man in Paris". Australian Financial Review. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Ambassador to France". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Biography). Archived from the original on 14 August 2015.
  4. ^ "VIDEO. L'ambassadeur australien en France fête le mariage pour tous en demandant la main de son compagnon". www.20minutes.fr (in French). Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  5. ^ Julie Bishop; Andrew Robb (5 August 2015). "APEC Ambassador" (Joint Media Release). Australian Government. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Berne's European escape to be caught on camera". Sydney Morning Herald. 1 April 2021. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
Diplomatic posts Preceded bySam Gerovich Australian Ambassador for APEC 2015–2017 Succeeded bySimon Newnham Preceded byStephen Brady Australian Ambassador to France 2017–2020 Succeeded byGillian Bird
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