| Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Reports to | Minister for Foreign Affairs |
| Residence | New York |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Australia |
| Appointer | Governor-General of Australia |
| Inaugural holder | Norman Makin (as Head of Delegation) |
| Formation | 1946 |
| Website | Permanent Representative |
| This article is part of a series about the |
| United Nations |
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Theambassador and permanent representative of Australia to the United Nations is an officer of theAustralianDepartment of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Permanent Mission of the Commonwealth of Australia to theUnited Nations inNew York. The position has the rank and status of anambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is the lead Australian representative to the UN, although that role is also shared with representatives present at theUnited Nations Office in Geneva, theUnited Nations Office in Vienna and theUnited Nations Office at Nairobi, and the delegations toUNESCO and theUnited Nations Agencies in Rome. Australia is a charter member of the United Nations and has sent representatives to New York since 1946.
The permanent representative, currentlyJames Larsen, is charged with representing Australia during plenary meetings of theGeneral Assembly and, when Australia holds a non-permanent seat or by invitation, theSecurity Council, except in the rare situation in which a more senior officer (such as theMinister for Foreign Affairs or thePrime Minister of Australia) is present. The post is appointed by theGovernor-General of Australia in the name of the monarch, and nominated by the prime minister.
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| # | Officeholder | Image | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norman Makin (Head of Delegation) |  | 1945 (1945) | 1946 (1946) | 0–1 years | |
| 2 | Paul Hasluck |  | 1946 (1946) | 1947 (1947) | 0–1 years | |
| 3 | John Hood | 1947 (1947) | 1950 (1950) | 2–3 years | ||
| − | Mick Shann (Acting) |  | 1950 (1950) | 1951 (1951) | 0–1 years | |
| 4 | Bill Forsyth | 1951 (1951) | 1956 (1956) | 4–5 years | [1] | |
| 5 | Edward Ronald Walker | .jpg) | 1956 (1956) | 1959 (1959) | 2–3 years | |
| 6 | James Plimsoll | .jpg) | 1959 (1959) | 1963 (1963) | 3–4 years | |
| 7 | David Hay | 1964 (1964) | 1965 (1965) | 0–1 years | [2] | |
| 8 | Patrick Shaw |  | 1965 (1965) | 1970 (1970) | 4–5 years | |
| 9 | Laurence McIntyre |  | 1970 (1970) | 1975 (1975) | 4–5 years | |
| 10 | Ralph Harry | 1975 (1975) | 1978 (1978) | 2–3 years | ||
| 11 | Harold David Anderson | 1978 (1978) | 1982 (1982) | 3–4 years | ||
| 12 | Richard Woolcott | 1982 (1982) | 1988 (1988) | 5–6 years | ||
| − | Michael Costello (Acting) | 1988 (1988) | 1989 (1989) | 0–1 years | ||
| 13 | Peter Wilenski |  | 1989 (1989) | 1992 (1992) | 2–3 years | [3] |
| 14 | Richard Butler | 1992 (1992) | 1996 (1996) | 3–4 years | ||
| 15 | Penelope Wensley | .jpg) | 1997 (1997) | 2001 (2001) | 3–4 years | [4] |
| 16 | John Dauth | .jpg) | 2001 (2001) | 2006 (2006) | 4–5 years | [5] |
| − | Caroline Millar (Acting) | .jpg) | 2006 (2006) | 2006 (2006) | 0 years | |
| 17 | Robert Hill | .jpg) | 2006 (2006) | 2009 (2009) | 2–3 years | |
| 18 | Gary Quinlan |  | 2009 (2009) | 2014 (2014) | 4–5 years | [6] |
| 19 | Gillian Bird |  | 2015 (2015) | 2019 (2019) | 3–4 years | [7] |
| 20 | Mitch Fifield |  | 17 October 2019 (2019-10-17) | 1 July 2023 | 3 years, 257 days | [8][9] |
| 21 | James Larsen | .jpg) | 26 July 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 200 days | [10] |
