The high commissioner of Australia to Malaysia 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
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
in
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
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, coordinates =
, su ...
. The position has the rank and status of an
ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
and is currently held by
Dr Justin Lee since 1 July 2021.
Posting history
On 11 November 1955, the Minister for External Affairs,
Richard Casey, announced that
Tom Critchley had been appointed to the newly created position of Australian Commissioner to Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, noting that while "relations with the authorities in the Federation of Malaya had been conducted through the Australian Commissioner in South-East Asia, Sir Alan Watt, ... the Australian Government believed that it was appropriate for Australia to have a full-time representative in Kuala Lumpur in the Federation of Malaya as important constitutional developments were carrying the Federation of Malaya to self-government."
Australia was one of 15 countries to establish formal diplomatic relations with the
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Empire, British Straits Settlements, P ...
in 1957 soon after independence, with the Australian commissioner to Malaya appointed high commissioner from 31 August 1957.
With the formation of the
Federation of Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Malaysia ...
on 16 September 1963, the Australian high commissioner to Malaya in Kuala Lumpur became a
high commissioner, with the
Australian Commissioner for Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak, and North Borneo resident in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
becoming a subordinate Deputy High Commission until it was replaced by a high commissioner to an independent Singapore from 9 August 1965.
In 1973, as part of an effort to showcase Australian design in overseas diplomatic missions, the Commonwealth Government of
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...
commissioned Joyce Nankivell Associates, architects of Melbourne, to design the new High Commission
chancery at 6 Jalan Yap Kwan Seng,
Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur.
Designed in a bold
Brutalist style with an L-shape plan by Bernard Joyce and William Nankivell in association with local architects Leong Thian & Rakan-rakan, on 29 January 1974 Prime Minister Whitlam turned the first sod at the construction site during an official visit to Malaysia, and the completed building was officially opened on 12 June 1978.
On 30 July 1979, the Australian high commissioner to Malaysia was appointed as the non-resident Commissioner to
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...
, 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".
A
resident Australian Commission in Brunei was established in March 1983 in anticipation of Brunei's independence on 1 January 1984.
Heads of mission
Notes
: Commissioner to Malaya until 31 August 1957; High Commissioner to Malaya until 16 September 1963.
: Also non-resident
Commissioner to Brunei, 1979–1983.
See also
*
Australia–Malaysia relations
References
External links
Australian High Commission, Malaysia
{{Lists of heads of Australian diplomatic missions
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
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 ...