The Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong and Macao 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.
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 co-ordination 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 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 and Macau 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]
^ abAustralian Foreign Affairs Record, Volume 56, Issues 7-12, Australian Government Public Service, 1985, page 1153
^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"
^Schevdin, Boris (2008). Emissaries of trade : a history of the Australian Trade Commissioner Service. Barton, ACT: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. p. 47.
^Downer, Alexander (22 August 1996). . Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
^CA 8946: Australian Consulate-General, Hong Kong (China), National Archives of Australia, retrieved 27 February 2016
^"Hong Kong delays visa approval for top Australian diplomat". Australian Financial Review. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
^"Australian consul general's official Hong Kong residence burgled, ransacked". South China Morning Post. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
^"APPOINTMENT TO HONG KONG". The Sydney Morning Herald. NSW: National Library of Australia. 15 August 1953. p. 3. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
^"Transfer for P.M.'s Cousin". The Age. Melbourne, Vic.: National Library of Australia. 11 October 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
^"IN BRIEF". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 5 October 1970. p. 3. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
^"Hong Kong post". The Canberra Times. ACT. 14 May 1982. p. 3.
^"Diplomat Appointed". The Canberra Times. ACT. 28 November 1985. p. 18.
^"Consul-general for Hong Kong". The Canberra Times. ACT. 13 March 1989. p. 3.
^Cook, Beryl (1 August 1994). "Asia needs a true Australian image". The Canberra Times. ACT. p. 9.
^Bilney, Gordon (25 May 1995). (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
^Downer, Alexander (2 April 1998). (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
^Downer, Alexander (15 June 1999). (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
^Downer, Alexander (18 September 2001). (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
^Downer, Alexander (23 August 2004). (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
^Smith, Stephen (8 February 2008). (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015.
^Emerson, Craig (26 August 2011). (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015.
^Bishop, Julie. . Minister for Foreign Affairs. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original (Media Release) on 4 June 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
^ abHong Kong delays visa approval for top Australian diplomat
^"Former Hong Kong-Australia free trade negotiator named top envoy to city". South China Morning Post. 4 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
External linksedit
Australian Consulate-General, Hong Kong and Macau
Australian Consulate-General, Hong Kong and Macau (in Chinese)
Australian Consulate-General, Hong Kong and Macau at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
October 31, 2023
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The Australian Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macao 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 Australian Consul General in Hong Kong and MacaoCoat of Arms of AustraliaIncumbentElizabeth Wardsince 4 October 2020StyleHis ExcellencyResidenceHong KongAppointerGovernor General of AustraliaInaugural holderReginald Hazzard Trade Commissioner Formation1946WebsiteAustralian Consulate General Hong Kong and MacauConsulate General of Australia Hong KongTraditional Chinese澳洲駐香港及澳門總領事館Simplified Chinese澳洲驻香港及澳门总领事馆TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinAozhōu zhu Xianggǎng ji Aomen ZǒnglǐngshiguǎnYue CantoneseYale RomanizationOu jau jyu Heung gong kahp Ou mun jung lihng sih gunJyutpingOu3 zau1 zyu3 Hoeng1 gong2 kap6 Ou3 mun2 zung2 ling5 si6 gun2Due 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 Contents 1 History 2 Office holders 2 1 Trade Commissioners 1946 1972 2 2 Senior Trade Commissioners 2007 present 2 3 Commissioners 2 4 Consuls General 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory editAn 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 co ordination 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 and Macau 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 editTrade Commissioners 1946 1972 edit Name Start of term End of term NotesReginald Hazzard 1946 1949Hugh Wrigley 1949 1952Harry Menzies 1953 1956 16 17 George Patterson 1957 1960John Allgrove 1966P R Searcy October 1970R Barcham October 1970 March 1972 18 Senior Trade Commissioners 2007 present edit Name Start of term End of term NotesPhil Ingram 2007 2013Dan Tebbut 2013 2015Sam Guthrie 2016Commissioners edit Name Start of term End of term NotesR Barcham 1 March 1972 10 May 1972Ivor Gordon Bowden 10 May 1972 27 June 1974H D White 27 June 1974 26 November 1976Ian Haig 26 November 1976 21 April 1979Ian Nicholson 21 April 1979 3 June 1982Donald Horne 3 June 1982 1986 19 Consuls General edit Name Start of term End of term NotesPenny 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 editAustralia Hong Kong relations U S Consulate General Hong Kong British Consulate General Hong KongReferences edit a b Australian Foreign Affairs Record Volume 56 Issues 7 12 Australian Government Public Service 1985 page 1153 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 Schevdin Boris 2008 Emissaries of trade a history of the Australian Trade Commissioner Service Barton ACT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade p 47 Schevdin Boris pp 50 51 THE GOOD WILL MISSION The Age Melbourne Vic National Library of Australia 26 April 1934 p 10 Retrieved 10 February 2016 The Evolution of Australian Foreign Policy 1938 1965 Alan Watt CUP Archive 1967 page 294 Annual Report Department of External Affairs 1967 page 2 CA 8944 Australian Commission Hong Kong National Archives of Australia retrieved 27 February 2016 Mission to be upgraded The Canberra Times ACT National Library of Australia 1 March 1972 p 1 Retrieved 10 February 2016 CA 8945 Australian Consulate General Hong Kong British Crown Colony National Archives of Australia retrieved 27 February 2016 About the Consulate General 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 CA 8946 Australian Consulate General Hong Kong China National Archives of Australia retrieved 27 February 2016 Hong Kong delays visa approval for top Australian diplomat Australian Financial Review 1 April 2020 Retrieved 7 October 2020 Australian consul general s official Hong Kong residence burgled ransacked South China Morning Post 2 October 2020 Retrieved 7 October 2020 APPOINTMENT TO HONG KONG The Sydney Morning Herald NSW National Library of Australia 15 August 1953 p 3 Retrieved 10 February 2016 Transfer for P M s Cousin The Age Melbourne Vic National Library of Australia 11 October 1952 p 1 Retrieved 10 February 2016 IN BRIEF The Canberra Times ACT National Library of Australia 5 October 1970 p 3 Retrieved 10 February 2016 Hong Kong post The Canberra Times ACT 14 May 1982 p 3 Diplomat Appointed The Canberra Times ACT 28 November 1985 p 18 Consul general for Hong Kong The Canberra Times ACT 13 March 1989 p 3 Cook Beryl 1 August 1994 Asia needs a true Australian image The Canberra Times ACT p 9 Bilney Gordon 25 May 1995 DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENT Consul General in Hong Kong Press release Australian Government Archived from the original on 12 February 2014 Downer Alexander 2 April 1998 DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENT CONSUL GENERAL IN HONG KONG Press release Australian Government Archived from the original on 12 February 2014 Downer Alexander 15 June 1999 Diplomatic Appointment Consul General In Hong Kong Press release Australian Government Archived from the original on 12 February 2014 Downer Alexander 18 September 2001 Diplomatic Appointment Consul General in Hong Kong Press release Australian Government Archived from the original on 12 February 2014 Downer Alexander 23 August 2004 Diplomatic Appointment Consul General In Hong Kong Press release Australian Government Archived from the original on 12 February 2014 Smith Stephen 8 February 2008 Diplomatic Appointment Consul General in Hong Kong Press release Australian Government Archived from the original on 6 April 2015 Emerson Craig 26 August 2011 Diplomatic appointment Consul General in Hong Kong Press release Australian Government Archived from the original on 29 March 2015 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 a b Hong Kong delays visa approval for top Australian diplomat 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 editAustralian Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau Australian Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau in Chinese Australian Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau at the Wayback Machine archive index Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Consulate General of Australia Hong Kong amp oldid 1180542618, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
