The High Commissioner of Australia to Malta 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 ...

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 in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. The position has the rank and status of an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and is currently held by Jennifer Cartmill since 22 July 2020. The high commissioner also holds non-resident accreditation as ambassador to

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

(since 2012). There has been a resident Australian High Commissioner in Malta since 1967.

Posting history

Australia first established an official presence in Malta with the establishment of a Migration Office on 4 September 1961, with the primary responsibility of managing the migration of Maltese to Australia, based in the Palazzo Spinola in

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...

until 1963, and then in Airways House in Sliema from 1963. Australia recognised the

State of Malta The State of Malta ( mt, Stat ta’ Malta), commonly known as Malta, was the predecessor to the modern-day Republic of Malta. It existed between 21 September 1964 and 13 December 1974. The Crown Colony of Malta became independent under the Malt ...

on its independence on 21 September 1964, with a former Commonwealth minister, Alick Downer, and the ambassador of Australia to the Netherlands, Walter Crocker, representing Australia during the independence celebrations on 19–23 September. On 12 October 1966, the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

Harold Holt Harold Edward Holt (5 August 190817 December 1967) was an Australian politician who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party. Holt was born in S ...

approved the establishment of a resident High Commission in Malta, and on 6 November 1966 during an official visit to Melbourne by the Prime Minister of Malta, Borg Olivier, prime ministers Holt and Olivier issued a joint communique indicating that the appointment of a high commissioner was imminent. An officer with the Department of External Affairs (1921–1970), Department of External Affairs, Douglas Sturkey, took up office as acting high commissioner in Malta on 30 March 1967. The first high commissioner, former immigration minister Hubert Opperman, Sir Hubert Opperman, took up office in July 1967 and presented his letters of commission on 24 July 1967.

Tunisia

The first resident Australian List of ambassadors of Australia to France#Ambassadors to Algeria, Ambassador to Algeria since 5 April 1976, John Anthony Piper, was accredited to

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

as non-resident Ambassador on 22 October 1976, and presented his credentials to the President of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba, on 23 June 1977. Responsibility for Tunisia was transferred from the Algiers embassy to the Australian Embassy in Amman, Jordan, on 3 January 1989. From 3 January 1989 to 14 April 1999, the List of ambassadors of Australia to Jordan, Australian Ambassador to Jordan was accredited to Tunisia. From 14 April 1999 until December 2012, non-resident accreditation for Tunisia was held by the List of ambassadors of Australia to Egypt, Ambassador of Australia to Egypt in Cairo. The Australian High Commission in Malta has been accredited to Tunisia since the appointment of Jane Lambert in December 2012 as the non-resident ambassador.

High Commissioners

Notes

: Also Dual accreditation, non-resident List of ambassadors of Australia to the Holy See, Ambassador to the Holy See, 1976–1978. : Acting High Commissioner until 14 July 1982. : Also non-resident Ambassador to Tunisia, 2012–present.

References

External links