Australian Consul General to Hong Kong
Coat of Arms of Australia
Incumbent
Gareth Williams
since 2 November 2023
StyleHis Excellency
ResidenceHong Kong
AppointerGovernor General of Australia
Inaugural holderReginald Hazzard (Trade Commissioner)
Formation1946
WebsiteAustralian Consulate General Hong Kong
Consulate General of Australia, Hong Kong
Traditional Chinese澳洲駐香港總領事館
Simplified Chinese澳洲驻香港总领事馆

The Australian Consulate General Hong Kong 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.

Due to Hong Kong and Macau having the status of Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China, the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong reports directly to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in Canberra, Australia, rather than to or through the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

The Consulate General is located on the 23rd floor of Harbour Centre [zh] (海港中心) in Wan Chai.[2]

History

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 coordination 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 August 1996, prior to the transfer of sovereignty, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, and Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen, signed an agreement on the continuation of Australia's presence in Hong Kong in the form of a Consulate General after 1 July 1997.[12][13]

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 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]

Office-holders

Trade Commissioners, 1946–1972

Name Start of term End of term Notes
Reginald Hazzard 1946 1949
Hugh Wrigley 1949 1952
Harry Menzies 1953 1956 [16][17]
George Patterson 1957 1960
John Allgrove 1966
P. R. Searcy October 1970
R. Barcham October 1970 March 1972 [18]

Senior Trade Commissioners, 2007–present

Name Start of term End of term Notes
Phil Ingram 2007 2013
Dan Tebbut 2013 2015
Sam Guthrie 2016

Commissioners

Name Start of term End of term Notes
R. Barcham 1 March 1972 10 May 1972
Ivor Gordon Bowden 10 May 1972 27 June 1974
H. D. White 27 June 1974 26 November 1976
Ian Haig 26 November 1976 21 April 1979
Ian Nicholson 21 April 1979 3 June 1982
Donald Horne 3 June 1982 1986 [19]

Consuls-General

Name Start of term End of term Notes
Penny Wensley 1986 1989 [20]
Geoff Bentley 1989 1992 [21]
Jocelyn Chey 1992 1995 [22]
Geoff Walsh 1995 June 1998 [23]
Susan Boyd June 1998 July 1999 [24]
Bill Tweddell July 1999 January 2002 [25]
David O'Leary January 2002 January 2005 [26]
Murray Cobban January 2005 April 2008 [27]
Les Luck April 2008 October 2011 [28]
Paul Tighe October 2011 3 April 2017 [29]
Michaela Browning 3 April 2017 25 February 2020 [30][31]
Ryan Neelam (Acting) 25 February 2020 4 October 2020 [32]
Elizabeth Ward 4 October 2020 Present [31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Australian Foreign Affairs Record, Volume 56, Issues 7-12, Australian Government Public Service, 1985, page 1153
  2. ^ 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"
  3. ^ Schevdin, Boris (2008). Emissaries of trade : a history of the Australian Trade Commissioner Service. Barton, ACT: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. p. 47.
  4. ^ Schevdin, Boris, pp. 50-51.
  5. ^ "THE GOOD-WILL MISSION". The Age. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 26 April 1934. p. 10. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  6. ^ The Evolution of Australian Foreign Policy 1938-1965, Alan Watt CUP Archive, 1967, page 294
  7. ^ Annual Report, Department of External Affairs, 1967, page 2
  8. ^ CA 8944: Australian Commission, Hong Kong, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 27 February 2016[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ "Mission to be upgraded". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 1 March 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  10. ^ CA 8945: Australian Consulate-General, Hong Kong (British Crown Colony), National Archives of Australia, retrieved 27 February 2016[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ About the Consulate-General
  12. ^ Downer, Alexander (22 August 1996). "AUSTRALIA AND CHINA AGREE ON AUSTRALIAN CONSULATE-GENERAL IN HONG KONG AFTER JULY 1, 1997". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  13. ^ CA 8946: Australian Consulate-General, Hong Kong (China), National Archives of Australia, retrieved 27 February 2016[permanent dead link]
  14. ^ "Hong Kong delays visa approval for top Australian diplomat". Australian Financial Review. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Australian consul general's official Hong Kong residence burgled, ransacked". South China Morning Post. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  16. ^ "APPOINTMENT TO HONG KONG". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 15 August 1953. p. 3. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  17. ^ "Transfer for P.M.'s Cousin". The Age. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 11 October 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  18. ^ "IN BRIEF". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 5 October 1970. p. 3. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  19. ^ "Hong Kong post". The Canberra Times. ACT. 14 May 1982. p. 3.
  20. ^ "Diplomat Appointed". The Canberra Times. ACT. 28 November 1985. p. 18.
  21. ^ "Consul-general for Hong Kong". The Canberra Times. ACT. 13 March 1989. p. 3.
  22. ^ Cook, Beryl (1 August 1994). "Asia needs a true Australian image". The Canberra Times. ACT. p. 9.
  23. ^ Bilney, Gordon (25 May 1995). "DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENT: Consul-General in Hong Kong" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  24. ^ Downer, Alexander (2 April 1998). "DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENT: CONSUL-GENERAL IN HONG KONG" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  25. ^ Downer, Alexander (15 June 1999). "Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General In Hong Kong" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  26. ^ Downer, Alexander (18 September 2001). "Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General in Hong Kong" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  27. ^ Downer, Alexander (23 August 2004). "Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General In Hong Kong" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  28. ^ Smith, Stephen (8 February 2008). "Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General in Hong Kong" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015.
  29. ^ Emerson, Craig (26 August 2011). "Diplomatic appointment - Consul-General in Hong Kong" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ a b Hong Kong delays visa approval for top Australian diplomat
  32. ^ "Former Hong Kong-Australia free trade negotiator named top envoy to city". South China Morning Post. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.

External links

Wan Chai District
Lists of heads of diplomatic missions of Australia
Diplomatic missions of Australia
Consular missions in Hong Kong
Categories