List of Australian High Commissioners to Kiribati

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High Commissioner of Australia to Kiribati
Coat of Arms of Australia.svg
Incumbent
Bruce Cowled
since 8 December 2015
Style His Excellency
Nominator Prime Minister of Australia
Appointer Governor General of Australia
Inaugural holder John Mahoney[1]
Formation 6 August 1982
Website Australian High Commission, Kiribati

The High Commissioner of Australia to Kiribati 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 Kiribati, located in Tarawa.[2] The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and is currently held by Bruce Cowled. As fellow members of the Commonwealth of Nations, diplomatic relations between Australia and Kiribati are between High Commissioners rather than ambassadors. The High Commission is one of four diplomatic missions in Kiribati, alongside New Zealand, Taiwan and Cuba. The High Commission supports and manages Australia's extensive Official Development Assistance program to Kiribati, which constitutes 31% of all ODA to the country (15% of Kiribati's GDP).[3]

Posting history

Australia formally recognised Kiribati on its independence from the United Kingdom in 1979 but diplomatic contacts were much earlier with the High Commissioner in Nauru also accredited as Commissioner to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands (1972–1976) and the Gilbert Islands (1976–1979), and then non-resident accredited High Commissioner to Kiribati from 1979. In 1981, The Australian Government announced that it would open a resident High Commission in Kiribati in recognition of "the importance which Australia attached to relations with not only Kiribati but to its regional neighbours in the South Pacific."[4]

On 7 November 2003, Kiribati established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan), but it was alleged later on that the Australian High Commissioner, Jurek Juszczyk, had urged President Anote Tong not to recognise Taiwan, as this would inevitably sever relations with China. Although Kiribati did not sever ties with the PRC, Beijing suspended ties on 29 November after failed attempts to lobby President Tong to change his mind.[5]

Office-holders

Commissioners/High Commissioners, resident in Nauru

Name Start of term End of term Notes
Leslie Sellars 1972 1975
Alan Fogg 1975 1977
Maris King 1977 1979
Oliver Cordell 1979 1981

Resident High Commissioners

Name Start of term End of term Notes
John Mahoney 6 August 1982 1984 [1]
William Rowe 1985 1986 [6][7]
Peter Bassett 1987 1990 [8][9]
Laurie B. Maher 1990 1994
Stewart D. Brooks 1994 1997 [10]
Phillip Allars 1997 2000 [11]
Colin Hill 2000 2003 [12][13]
Jurek Juszczyk 2003 2006 [14][15]
Anne Quinane 2006 2009 [16][17]
Brett Aldam 2009 2012 [18][19][20]
George Fraser 2012 2015 [21][22]
Bruce Cowled 2015 [23][24]

References

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External links

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