List of high commissioners of Australia to Papua New Guinea
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The high commissioner of Australia to Papua New Guinea is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the high commission of the Commonwealth of Australia in Papua New Guinea. The high commissioner resides in Port Moresby and, since February 2020, has been Jon Philp. The high commission's work has been assisted since 6 February 2017 by a consulate-general in Lae.[1]
| High Commissioner of Australia to Papua New Guinea | |
|---|---|
| |
 Incumbent since 25 February 2025Ewen McDonald | |
| Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Reports to | Minister for Foreign Affairs |
| Residence | Waigani, Port Moresby |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Australia |
| Appointer | Governor General of Australia |
| Inaugural holder | Les Johnson (as High Commissioner for the Territory of Papua and New Guinea) |
| Formation | 1 December 1973 |
| Website | Australian High Commission, Papua New Guinea |
Posting history
The Australian Government has offered diplomatic representation in Papua New Guinea since the establishment of self-government for the Territory of Papua and New Guinea in December 1973. The Australian Government administrator in Papua New Guinea was retitled as high commissioner, which was continued as a solely diplomatic post once PNG gained independence from 16 September 1975.[2][3][4]
Lae consulate
On 18 April 1975, a consular office was opened in the city of Lae, which was later upgraded to a consulate-general from 16 September 1975 upon independence.[5] However, due to resource constraints in foreign affairs with the new Liberal/National government of Malcolm Fraser, the post was scaled down from late 1978, with the responsibilities of the consulate passed to the deputy high commissioner in Port Moresby, Max Hughes, and was completely closed down in December 1981.[6][7] The post remained closed until the appointment and opening of an Honorary Consulate on 24 July 1989, which lasted until the reopening of the Consulate-General in February 2017 as part of a significant expansion of Australia's global diplomatic presence.[1][8]
Heads of mission
| # | Officeholder | Title | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Johnson | High Commissioner for Papua New Guinea | 1 December 1973 | 29 March 1974 | 118 days | [9][10][11] |
| 2 | Tom Critchley | 29 March 1974 | 16 September 1975 | 3 years, 10 months | [12][13][14] | |
| High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea | 16 September 1975 | February 1978 | ||||
| 3 | Gerry Nutter | February 1978 | May 1981 | 3 years, 3 months | [15][16] | |
| 4 | Robert Birch | May 1981 | September 1984 | 3 years, 4 months | [17][18] | |
| 5 | Michael Wilson | September 1984 | October 1987 | 3 years, 1 month | [19][20] | |
| 6 | Lance Joseph | October 1987 | April 1989 | 1 year, 6 months | [21] | |
| 7 | Allan Taylor | April 1989 | March 1993 | 3 years, 11 months | [22][23] | |
| 8 | Bill Farmer | March 1993 | March 1996 | 3 years | [24] | |
| 9 | David Irvine | March 1996 | September 1999 | 3 years, 6 months | [25] | |
| 10 | Nick Warner | September 1999 | March 2003 | 3 years, 6 months | [26][27] | |
| 11 | Michael Potts | March 2003 | December 2006 | 3 years, 9 months | [28][29] | |
| 12 | Chris Moraitis | December 2006 | February 2010 | 3 years, 2 months | [30][31][32] | |
| 13 | Ian Kemish | February 2010 | March 2013 | 3 years, 1 month | [33][34][35] | |
| 14 | Deborah Stokes | March 2013 | August 2015 | 2 years, 5 months | [36][37] | |
| − | Bronte Moules (Acting) | August 2015 | December 2015 | 4 months | [38] | |
| 15 | Bruce Davis | 2 December 2015 | 25 February 2020 | 4 years, 85 days | [39][40] | |
| 16 | Jon Philp | 25 February 2020 | Incumbent | 6 years, 78 days | [41] |
Consuls-general in Lae
| Name | Start of term | End of term | References |
| Noel Ross Smith | November 1974 | 25 October 1976 | [6][42] |
| Eric Herbert Hanfield | 25 October 1976 | 1978 | [6][43] |
| Max Hughes (resident in Port Moresby) | 1978 | December 1981 | [6][44] |
| Posting closed | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Beamish (Honorary Consul) | 24 July 1989 | 12 September 1994 | [45][46] |
| Phil Franklin (Honorary Consul) | 12 September 1994 | August 2013 | [47][48] |
| Alan McLay (Honorary Consul) | August 2013 | 16 December 2016 | [49] |
| Paul Murphy | 16 December 2016 | 16 December 2020 | [50][51] |
| Mark Foxe | 16 December 2020 | present | [52] |
