The high commissioner of Australia to Bangladesh is an officer of the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid (using the branding Australian Aid), consular services and trade and inv ...
and the head of the
High Commission of the
Commonwealth of Australia to the
People's Republic of Bangladesh. The high commission is located in
Dhaka. The high commissioner has the rank and status of an
ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is held, since January 2020, by Jeremy Bruer, a career diplomat.
Posting history
The first official Australian presence in Bangladesh dates back to April 1969, when a Deputy High Commission (reporting to the
High Commission of Australia in
Islamabad,
West Pakistan) was opened in the city of
Dacca
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...
, the capital of
East Pakistan. Career diplomat James Lawrence (Jim) Allen, was appointed as Deputy High Commissioner, operating from the Purbani Hotel in
Motijheel Thana
Motijheel ( bn, মতিঝিল) is a ''thana'' (administrative division) of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is at the heart of the city (the General Post Office is considered the zero point of Dhaka). Motijheel is the major business and commercial hub ...
. Allen had previously served as the secretary to
Richard Casey during his term as
Governor of Bengal
The Governor was the chief colonial administrator in the Bengal presidency, originally the "Presidency of Fort William" and later "Bengal province".
In 1644, Gabriel Boughton procured privileges for the East India Company which permitted them to ...
(1944–1946).
Australia was one of the first nations to officially recognise Bangladesh as an independent country on 31 January 1972, following the end of the
Bangladesh Liberation War
The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...
on 16 December 1971 and its status as East Pakistan. On 13 March 1972, the former deputy high commissioner in Dacca (renamed Dhaka in 1982) and ''chargé d'affaires'' of the Australian mission since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Jim Allen, was appointed as Australia's first Ambassador to Bangladesh, which was quickly upgraded to the rank of
high commissioner following Bangladesh's admission to the
Commonwealth of Nations on 18 April 1972.
Allen presented his letters of commission to the President of Bangladesh,
Abu Sayeed Chowdhury
Abu Sayeed Chowdhury (31 January 1921 – 2 August 1987) was a jurist and the President of Bangladesh. Besides that, he held the positions of the Chairmen of the United Nations Commission on Human rights, the vice-chancellor of the University ...
, on 21 April 1972. Allen assisted in the first Australian official visit to Bangladesh, with the goodwill visit of the Australian foreign minister,
Nigel Bowen, from 28 to 29 May 1972. On 26 January 1983, a new
chancery
Chancery may refer to:
Offices and administration
* Chancery (diplomacy), the principal office that houses a diplomatic mission or an embassy
* Chancery (medieval office), responsible for the production of official documents
* Chancery (Scotlan ...
for the High Commission was opened at 184 Gulshan Avenue,
Gulshan, Dhaka.
Heads of mission
See also
*
Australia–Bangladesh relations
Bilateral relations exist between Australia and Bangladesh.
History
Australia was the fourth country, and the first in the developed world, to recognise Bangladesh's independence in 1971. A high commission was opened in Dhaka and relations ha ...
*
Foreign relations of Bangladesh
The foreign relations share the Bangladeshi government's policies in its external relations with the international community. The country pursues a moderate foreign policy that places heavy reliance on multinational diplomacy, especially at ...
*
Foreign relations of Australia
References
External links
Australian High Commission, Bangladesh
{{Lists of heads of Australian diplomatic missions
Australia and the Commonwealth of Nations
Bangladesh and the Commonwealth of Nations
Bangladesh
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...