List of high commissioners of Australia to Bangladesh
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The high commissioner of Australia to Bangladesh 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 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[1] and is held, since January 2024, by Nardia Simpson, as acting high commissioner.
| High Commissioner of Australia to Bangladesh | |
|---|---|
| |
 Incumbent since 23 December 2024Susan Ryle | |
| Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Reports to | Minister for Foreign Affairs |
| Residence | Gulshan Thana |
| Seat | Dhaka |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Australia |
| Appointer | |
| Inaugural holder | Jim Allen |
| Formation | 30 April 1969 (Deputy High Commissioner) 13 March 1972 (Ambassador) 18 April 1972 (High Commissioner) |
| Website | Australian High Commission, Bangladesh |
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, the capital of East Pakistan.[2] Career diplomat James Lawrence (Jim) Allen, was appointed as Deputy High Commissioner, operating from the Purbani Hotel in Motijheel Thana.[3] Allen had previously served as the secretary to Richard Casey during his term as Governor of Bengal (1944–1946).[4]
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 on 16 December 1971 and its status as East Pakistan.[5] 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.[6][7] Allen presented his letters of commission to the President of Bangladesh, Abu Sayeed Chowdhury, on 21 April 1972.[8] 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.[9] On 26 January 1983, a new chancery for the High Commission was opened at 184 Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan, Dhaka.[10]
Heads of mission
| # | Officeholder | Title | Residency | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| − | Jim Allen | Deputy High Commissioner | Dacca, East Pakistan | 30 April 1968 | 31 January 1972 | 3 years, 276 days | [1][6][11] |
| − | Chargé d'affaires | Dacca, Bangladesh | 31 January 1972 | 13 March 1972 | 42 days | ||
| 1 | Ambassador | 13 March 1972 | 18 April 1972 | 36 days | |||
| High Commissioner | 18 April 1972 | 31 December 1973 | 1 year, 257 days | ||||
| 2 | Philip Flood | 23 February 1974 | 15 June 1976 | 2 years, 113 days | [1][12] | ||
| 3 | Tim McDonald | 15 June 1976 | December 1977 | 1 year, 5 months | [13] | ||
| 4 | John Hoyle | January 1978 | December 1979 | 1 year, 11 months | [14][15] | ||
| 5 | Mack Williams | January 1980 | June 1982 | 2 years, 5 months | [16][17][18] | ||
| 6 | Ian Mitchell | Dhaka, Bangladesh | June 1982 | September 1986 | 4 years, 3 months | [19][20][21] | |
| 7 | Susan Boyd | September 1986 | 14 September 1989 | 3 years | [22] | ||
| 8 | Richard Gate | 14 September 1989 | 16 August 1993 | 3 years, 336 days | [23][24] | ||
| 9 | Kenneth Aspinall | 16 August 1993 | 6 August 1996 | 2 years, 356 days | [23][25] | ||
| 10 | Charles Stuart | 6 August 1996 | 21 June 1999 | 2 years, 319 days | [26] | ||
| 11 | Robert Flynn | 21 June 1999 | 19 June 2002 | 2 years, 363 days | [27] | ||
| 12 | Lorraine Barker | 19 June 2002 | 20 September 2005 | 3 years, 93 days | [28] | ||
| 13 | Douglas Foskett | 20 September 2005 | December 2008 | 3 years, 2 months | [29] | ||
| 14 | Justin Lee | January 2009 | 14 June 2012 | 3 years, 5 months | [30] | ||
| 15 | Greg Wilcock | 14 June 2012 | 22 July 2016 | 4 years, 38 days | [31] | ||
| 16 | Julia Niblett | 22 July 2016 | December 2019 | 3 years, 4 months | [32][33] | ||
| 17 | Jeremy Bruer | 20 February 2020 | December 2023 | 3 years, 9 months | [34][35] | ||
| 18 | Nardia Simpson (acting) | Dhaka, Bangladesh | January 2024 | incumbent | 2 years, 277 days | [36] |
