List of high commissioners of Australia to Brunei

High Commissioner of Australia to Brunei
Incumbent
Luke Arnold
since January 2022
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
StyleHis Excellency
Reports toMinister for Foreign Affairs
ResidenceBandar Seri Begawan
NominatorPrime Minister of Australia
AppointerGovernor General of Australia
Inaugural holderGraham Feakes (Commissioner)
Formation30 July 1979
WebsiteAustralian High Commission, Brunei Darussalam

The high commissioner of Australia to Brunei 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 Brunei. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is currently held by Luke Arnold since January 2022. There has been a resident Australian high commissioner in Brunei since March 1983.[1]

Posting history

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The reporting responsibility for the British Protectorate of Brunei was originally held by the Australian office in Singapore, with a "Commissioner for Malaya and South-East Asia" appointed in 1946. On 7 April 1956, Ralph Harry took up his appointment in Singapore as the Australian Commissioner for Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak, and North Borneo.[2][3] With the formation of the Federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, the Australian Commission in Singapore became a subordinate Deputy High Commission to the new High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, and responsibility for Brunei, which remained a British protectorate outside of Malaysia, was transferred to the high commission.[4]

On 30 July 1979, the Australian high commissioner to Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, was appointed as the non-resident Commissioner to Brunei, with a stated purpose to "facilitate contacts and closer cooperation with the Government of Brunei during the period leading up to Brunei's full independence in 1983".[5] A resident Australian Commission in Brunei was established in March 1983 headed by John Monfries, in anticipation of Brunei's independence on 1 January 1984.[6][7] When Brunei gained its independence, the Australian mission became a High Commission.[8]

Heads of mission

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For the representatives responsible for Brunei prior to 1979, see Australian High Commissioners to Singapore (1946–1963), and Australian High Commissioners to Malaysia (1963–1979).
# Officeholder Title Residency Term start date Term end date Time in office Notes
1 Graham Feakes Commissioner Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 30 July 1979 (1979-07-30) April 1980 (1980-04) 8 months [5]
2 Garry Woodard April 1980 (1980-04) March 1983 (1983-03) 2 years, 11 months [9][10]
3 John Monfries Bandar Seri Begawan March 1983 (1983-03) 31 December 1983 (1983-12-31) 9 months [7][11]
4 John Starey High Commissioner 1 January 1984 (1984-01-01) August 1988 (1988-08) 4 years, 7 months [12][13]
5 Philip Knight August 1988 (1988-08) June 1992 (1992-06) 3 years, 10 months [14][15]
6 Frank Milne June 1992 (1992-06) September 1995 (1995-09) 3 years, 3 months [16]
7 Neal Davis September 1995 (1995-09) October 1999 (1999-10) 4 years, 1 month [17]
8 Doug Chester October 1999 (1999-10) January 2001 (2001-01) 1 year, 3 months [18]
9 Allaster Cox January 2001 (2001-01) February 2004 (2004-02) 3 years, 1 month [19]
10 Christian Bennett February 2004 (2004-02) February 2006 (2006-02) 2 years [20]
11 Ruth Adler February 2006 (2006-02) February 2009 (2009-02) 3 years [21]
12 Mark Sawers February 2009 (2009-02) August 2012 (2012-08) 3 years, 6 months [22]
13 Todd Mercer August 2012 (2012-08) August 2016 (2016-08) 4 years [23]
14 Nicola Rosenblum August 2016 (2016-08) October 2020 (2020-10) 4 years, 2 months [24][25]
15 Tiffany McDonald October 2020 (2020-10) December 2021 (2021-12) 1 year, 2 months [26]
16 Luke Arnold 31 January 2022 (2022-01-31) Incumbent 2 years, 326 days [27][28]

References

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  1. ^ CA 7856: Australian High Commission, Brunei Darussalem [Bandar Seri Begawan], National Archives of Australia, retrieved 5 November 2015
  2. ^ CA 2951: Australian Commission, Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 17 July 2022
  3. ^ "Australian Diplomatic Appointments". Current Notes on International Affairs. 27 (2). Department of External Affairs: 92. February 1956. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Representation - Australian Representation Overseas". Current Notes on International Affairs. 34 (10). Department of External Affairs: 68. October 1963. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Appointment of Commissioner to Brunei". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 50 (7). Department of Foreign Affairs: 446–447. July 1979. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  6. ^ "X - Diplomatic and Consular Relations" (PDF), Australian Year Book of International Law: 456, 1987, archived (PDF) from the original on 17 June 2012, retrieved 4 February 2017
  7. ^ a b "Opening of Australian Commission in Brunei". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 54 (2). Department of Foreign Affairs: 81. February 1983. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Brunei". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 55 (4). Department of Foreign Affairs: 316. April 1984. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Diplomatic appointments". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 51 (1). Department of Foreign Affairs: 679. December 1979 – January 1980. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Australian Representation Overseas". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 51 (5). Department of Foreign Affairs: 176. May 1980. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  11. ^ "Representation - Australian Representation Overseas". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 54 (4). Department of Foreign Affairs: 164. April 1983. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  12. ^ "High Commissioner to Brunei". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 54 (12). Department of Foreign Affairs: 835. December 1983. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Australian Representation Overseas". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 55 (2). Department of Foreign Affairs: 168. February 1984. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  14. ^ "High Commissioner to Brunei". Australian Foreign Affairs Record. 59 (7). Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: 295. July 1988. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  15. ^ "Diplomats chosen". The Canberra Times. 4 July 1988. p. 10.
  16. ^ Kerin, John (25 May 1992). "Diplomatic appointment: High Commissioner to Brunei" (Media Release). ParlInfo: Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  17. ^ Downer, Alexander (22 June 1995). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam" (Press release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  18. ^ Downer, Alexander (1 June 1999). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam" (Press release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  19. ^ Downer, Alexander (13 September 2000). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam" (Press release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  20. ^ Downer, Alexander (13 November 2003). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam". Minister for Foreign Affairs (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
  21. ^ Downer, Alexander (13 January 2006). "Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam" (Press release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015.
  22. ^ Smith, Stephen (22 January 2009). "Diplomatic appointment - High Commissioner to Brunei" (Press release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 4 April 2015.
  23. ^ Carr, Bob (5 July 2012). "High Commissoner [sic] to Brunei Darussalam" (Press release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015.
  24. ^ Bishop, Julie (3 August 2016). "High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam" (Press release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016.
  25. ^ Yap, Amanda; Seri Begawan, Bandar (5 August 2016). "Brunei to get new Oz High Commisioner [sic]". The Brunei Times. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016.
  26. ^ Payne, Marise (4 October 2020). "High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam" (Media Release). Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  27. ^ Payne, Marise (31 January 2022). "High Commissioner to Brunei". Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australian Government. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  28. ^ Arnold, Luke [@duta.oz.bn] (25 May 2022). "Following Australian High Commissioner Luke Arnold's presentation of credentials to the Sultan, His Excellency was granted an audience with His Majesty (and an opportunity to try out his "Bahasa Dalam" - Palace Malay!)". Brunei. Retrieved 21 December 2022 – via Instagram.
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