Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
Incumbent
James Larsen
since 26 July 2023 (2023-07-26)
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
StyleHis Excellency
Reports toMinister for Foreign Affairs
ResidenceNew York
NominatorPrime Minister of Australia
AppointerGovernor-General of Australia
Inaugural holderNorman Makin
(as Head of Delegation)
Formation1946
WebsitePermanent Representative

The ambassador and permanent representative of Australia to the United Nations is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Permanent Mission of the Commonwealth of Australia to the United Nations in New York. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is the lead Australian representative to the UN, although that role is also shared with representatives present at the United Nations Office in Geneva, the United Nations Office in Vienna and the United Nations Office at Nairobi, and the delegations to UNESCO and the United Nations Agencies in Rome. Australia is a charter member of the United Nations and has sent representatives to New York since 1946.

The permanent representative, currently James Larsen, is charged with representing Australia during plenary meetings of the General Assembly and, when Australia holds a non-permanent seat or by invitation, the Security Council, except in the rare situation in which a more senior officer (such as the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Prime Minister of Australia) is present. The post is appointed by the Governor-General of Australia in the name of the monarch, and nominated by the prime minister.

List of permanent representatives

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: "Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
# Officeholder Image Term start date Term end date Time in office Notes
1 Norman Makin
(Head of Delegation) 		1945 (1945) 1946 (1946) 0–1 years
2 Paul Hasluck 1946 (1946) 1947 (1947) 0–1 years
3 John Hood 1947 (1947) 1950 (1950) 2–3 years
− Mick Shann
(Acting) 		1950 (1950) 1951 (1951) 0–1 years
4 Bill Forsyth 1951 (1951) 1956 (1956) 4–5 years [1]
5 Edward Ronald Walker 1956 (1956) 1959 (1959) 2–3 years
6 James Plimsoll 1959 (1959) 1963 (1963) 3–4 years
7 David Hay 1964 (1964) 1965 (1965) 0–1 years [2]
8 Patrick Shaw 1965 (1965) 1970 (1970) 4–5 years
9 Laurence McIntyre 1970 (1970) 1975 (1975) 4–5 years
10 Ralph Harry 1975 (1975) 1978 (1978) 2–3 years
11 Harold David Anderson 1978 (1978) 1982 (1982) 3–4 years
12 Richard Woolcott 1982 (1982) 1988 (1988) 5–6 years
− Michael Costello
(Acting) 		1988 (1988) 1989 (1989) 0–1 years
13 Peter Wilenski 1989 (1989) 1992 (1992) 2–3 years [3]
14 Richard Butler 1992 (1992) 1996 (1996) 3–4 years
15 Penelope Wensley 1997 (1997) 2001 (2001) 3–4 years [4]
16 John Dauth 2001 (2001) 2006 (2006) 4–5 years [5]
− Caroline Millar
(Acting) 		2006 (2006) 2006 (2006) 0 years
17 Robert Hill 2006 (2006) 2009 (2009) 2–3 years
18 Gary Quinlan 2009 (2009) 2014 (2014) 4–5 years [6]
19 Gillian Bird 2015 (2015) 2019 (2019) 3–4 years [7]
20 Mitch Fifield 17 October 2019 (2019-10-17) 1 July 2023 3 years, 257 days [8][9]
21 James Larsen 26 July 2023 Incumbent 219 days [10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Chad Mitcham, ‘Forsyth, William Douglass (Bill)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/forsyth-william-douglass-bill-27737, published online 2018
  2. ^ Farquharson, John (22 May 2009). "David Hay, 1916-2009". smh.com.a. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  3. ^ Mitcham, Chad. "Peter Stephen Wilenski (1939–1994)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISSN 1833-7538.
  4. ^ "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York". Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York". Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations". Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  7. ^ "New Permanent Representative of Australia Presents Credentials (2015)". United Nations. 17 February 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  8. ^ Payne, Marise (17 October 2019). "Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Press release). Australian Government. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  9. ^ "New Permanent Representative of Australia Presents Credentials (2019)". United Nations. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  10. ^ "New Permanent Representative of Australia Presents Credentials | UN Press". press.un.org. Retrieved 5 August 2023.

External links

Permanent representative to the United Nations
Lists of heads of diplomatic missions of Australia
Categories