The high commissioner of Australia to Canada is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the High Commission of the Commonwealth of Australia to Canada. The Australian High Commission also has responsibility for relations with Bermuda, a self-governing Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is currently held by Kate Logan since 9 December 2024.
| High Commissioner of Australia to Canada | |
|---|---|
Incumbent since December 2024Kate Logan | |
| Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | |
| Style | Her Excellency |
| Reports to | Minister for Foreign Affairs |
| Residence | Australia House, Sandy Hill, Ottawa |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Australia |
| Appointer | Governor General of Australia |
| Inaugural holder | Sir Thomas Glasgow |
| Formation | 23 December 1939 |
| Website | Australian High Commission, Canada |
Australia and Canada have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since 12 September 1939, when high commissioners were first exchanged as Australia's second independent diplomatic posting established from 29 March 1940, with only the High Commission in London (1910) being older. As fellow Dominion countries, Australia and Canada had many prior contacts, particularly in trade, and continue to share a monarch as Commonwealth realms. The High Commissioner's Official Residence is located at Australia House, Ottawa, while the Chancery is located at the Sun Life Financial Centre, Suite 1301, 50 O'Connor Street, in Downtown Ottawa. The work of the High Commission is also supported by a Consulate-General in Toronto and an Honorary Consulate in Vancouver, which are run by Austrade.
Posting history
Formal diplomatic relations between Australia and Canada formally began on 12 September 1939 when the two countries agreed to exchange high commissioners. Australian representation in Canada prior to this was limited to a Trade Commissioner post with a focus on promoting trade, with Rupert Haynes, an Australian businessman connected to the South Australian fruit industry, appointed by the Minister for Markets and Transport as the first "Commercial Representative for the Commonwealth of Australia in the Dominion of Canada" on 1 April 1929. Haynes was recalled on 15 March 1930, and was later replaced by Lewis Richard Macgregor, who served until May 1938.
The first Canadian high commissioner, Charles Jost Burchell, was appointed on 3 November 1939 and arrived in Australia on 27 December 1939. On 23 December 1939, Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced the appointment of Sir Thomas Glasgow as the first Australian high commissioner. Glasgow arrived in Ottawa on 29 March 1940.
From 7 January 1974 to 1975, the high commissioner had non-resident accreditation for Barbados, when it was transferred to the high commissioner in Jamaica.
High commissioners
| # | Officeholder | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Thomas Glasgow | 23 December 1939 | 16 January 1945 | 5 years, 24 days | |
| − | William Roy Hodgson (Acting) | 16 January 1945 | 24 July 1945 | 189 days | |
| 2 | Alfred Stirling | 24 July 1945 | 1 November 1946 | 1 year, 100 days | |
| 3 | Frank Forde | 1 November 1946 | 14 May 1953 | 6 years, 194 days | |
| 4 | Sir Douglas Copland | 20 May 1953 | 10 July 1956 | 3 years, 51 days | |
| − | Trevor Pyman (Acting) | 10 July 1956 | 31 January 1957 | 205 days | |
| 5 | Walter Crocker | 31 January 1957 | 3 September 1958 | 1 year, 215 days | |
| − | Frederick Thomas Homer (Acting) | 3 September 1958 | 11 March 1959 | 189 days | |
| 6 | Sir Walter Cawthorn | 11 March 1959 | 2 May 1960 | 1 year, 52 days | |
| − | Kieren Desmond (Acting) | 2 May 1960 | 6 May 1961 | 1 year, 4 days | |
| 7 | David Hay | 7 May 1961 | 16 July 1964 | 3 years, 70 days | |
| 8 | Sir Kenneth Bailey | 17 July 1964 | 7 May 1969 | 4 years, 294 days | |
| − | W. Kevin Flanagan (Acting) | 7 May 1969 | 1 August 1969 | 86 days | |
| 9 | David McNicol | 2 August 1969 | April 1973 | 3 years, 7 months | |
| 10 | James Ingram | June 1973 | December 1974 | 1 year, 6 months | |
| 11 | Max Loveday | January 1975 | November 1977 | 2 years, 10 months | |
| 12 | John Ryan | November 1977 | April 1980 | 2 years, 5 months | |
| 13 | Barrie Dexter | April 1980 | September 1983 | 3 years, 5 months | |
| 14 | Rowen Osborn | September 1983 | May 1985 | 1 year, 8 months | |
| 15 | Robert Laurie | May 1985 | April 1989 | 3 years, 11 months | |
| 16 | James Humphries | April 1989 | May 1991 | 2 years, 1 month | |
| 17 | David Spencer | May 1991 | July 1993 | 2 years, 2 months | |
| 18 | Frank Murray | July 1993 | May 1997 | 3 years, 10 months | |
| 19 | Gregory Wood | May 1997 | July 2001 | 4 years, 2 months | |
| 20 | Tony Hely | July 2001 | February 2005 | 3 years, 7 months | |
| 21 | William Fisher | February 2005 | November 2008 | 3 years, 9 months | |
| 22 | Justin Brown | November 2008 | December 2011 | 3 years, 1 month | |
| 23 | Louise Hand | January 2012 | 14 January 2015 | 3 years | |
| 24 | Tony Negus | 15 January 2015 | 30 November 2017 | 2 years, 319 days | |
| 25 | Natasha Smith | 30 November 2017 | 20 December 2021 | 4 years, 20 days | |
| 26 | Scott Ryan | 20 December 2021 | December 2024 | 3 years, 362 days | |
| 27 | Kate Logan | December 2024 | incumbent |
Consulates
| Location | Open | Consular district |
|---|---|---|
| High Commission, Ottawa | 1939 | New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario (excluding Greater Toronto Area), Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Bermuda |
| Consulate-General, Toronto | 1975 | Greater Toronto Area |
| Consulate, Vancouver | 1975 | Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory |
The work of the high commission is supported by a consulate-general in Toronto, which has been operated by the Australian Trade Commission (now Austrade) since 1929, and was upgraded to a consulate-general in 1975. The Honorary Consulate in Vancouver was originally established in 1947 as a Trade Commission and also upgraded to a consulate in 1975. There was also previously a consulate-general in Montreal from 1975 to its closure in 1976, having previously operated as a Trade Commission only since 1953.
See also
- Australia-Canada relations
- List of high commissioners of Canada to Australia
- Foreign relations of Australia
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