List of ambassadors of Australia to Iraq

Ambassador of Australia to Iraq

Incumbent
Paula Ganly
since 16 December 2020

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Style| His/Her Excellency
Reports to| Minister for Foreign Affairs
Residence| Baghdad
Nominator| Prime Minister of Australia
Appointer| Governor General of Australia
Inaugural holder| Pierre Hutton
(resident in Beirut)
Formation| 1974; 50 years ago (1974)
Website| Australian Embassy, Iraq

The ambassador of Australia to Iraq is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Republic of Iraq in Baghdad.[1] The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is currently held by Paula Ganly since December 2020.

Iraq and Australia have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since the Australian government of Gough Whitlam recognised the Iraqi Republic in 1973. Contacts between Australia and Iraq however were much earlier, dating back to British Mandatory Iraq and the British Protectorate Kingdom of Iraq from 1935.[2]

On 2 December 1973, Foreign Minister Don Willesee announced that Iraq and Australia would establish diplomatic relations with the Australian Ambassador in Beirut to be accredited to Iraq.[3] A resident Ambassador was not appointed until 1976, with Neil Truscott becoming the first resident Ambassador in early 1977.[4] With the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait starting the First Gulf War in August 1990, relations between the two countries became severely strained and diplomatic relations were severed in January 1991 with the withdrawal of Ambassador Peter Lloyd immediately prior to Operation Desert Storm.[5] Relations remained severed until the overthrow of the regime of Saddam Hussein and the establishment of the Australian Mission in Baghdad on 3 May 2003, immediately following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.[6] This was upgraded to an embassy 29 June 2004 following the transfer of sovereign authority to the Iraqi Interim Government.[7]

## Heads of mission[edit]

Ordinal | Officeholder | Title | Residency | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1 | Pierre Hutton | Ambassador of Australia to Iraq  | Beirut, Lebanon  | 1974  | 1975  | 0–1 years  |
2 | Peter Curtis | 1975  | October 1976 (1976-10) | 0–1 years  |
n/a | J. M. Starey  | Chargé d'affaires | Baghdad | October 1976  | 1977  | 0–1 years  |
3 | Neil Truscott | Ambassador of Australia to Iraq  | 1977  | 1979  | 1–2 years  | [8]
4 | J. M. Starey  | 1979  | 1981  | 1–2 years  |
5 | A. L. Vincent  | 1981  | 1983  | 1–2 years  |
6 | Miles Kupa  | 1983  | 1986  | 2–3 years  |
7 | Rory Steele | 1986  | 1989  | 2–3 years  |
8 | Peter Lloyd  | 1989  | January 1991  | 1–2 years  | [5]
Relations suspended
9 | Neil Mules  | Head of Mission | Baghdad  | 3 May 2003 (2003-05-03) | 29 June 2004 (2004-06-29) | 1 year, 5 months  | [6][9]
Ambassador of Australia to Iraq  | 29 June 2004 (2004-06-29) | October 2004 (2004-10)
10 | Howard Brown  | October 2004  | August 2006  | 1 year, 10 months  | [7]
11 | Marc Innes-Brown | August 2006  | August 2008  | 2 years  | [10]
12 | Robert Tyson  | August 2008  | August 2011  | 3 years  | [11]
13 | Lyndall Sachs  | August 2011  | 20 July 2015 (2015-07-20) | 3 years, 11 months  | [12][13]
14 | Christopher Langman  | 20 July 2015 (2015-07-20) | 10 January 2018 (2018-01-10) | 2 years, 174 days  | [14][15]
15 | Dr Joanne Loundes | 10 January 2018 (2018-01-10) | 16 December 2020 (2020-12-16) | 2 years, 341 days  | [16]
16 | Paula Ganly  | 16 December 2020 (2020-12-16) | incumbent | 3 years, 172 days  | [17]

## See also[edit]

* Foreign relations of Australia

## References[edit]

1. ^ CA 6659: Australian Embassy, Iraq [Baghdad], National Archives of Australia, retrieved 30 June 2015
2. ^ "Bilateral relations". Australian Embassy, Iraq. Australian Government. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
3. ^ "Diplomacy". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 3 December 1973. p. 3. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
4. ^ "IN BRIEF". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 28 October 1976. p. 17. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
5. ^ a b Colvin, Mark (19 February 2003). "Former ambassador discusses Iraq". ABC Radio National - PM. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
6. ^ a b Moore, Matthew (3 May 2003). "Australia to open mission in Baghdad". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 12 September 2011.
7. ^ a b Downer, Alexander (27 August 2004). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
8. ^ "IN BRIEF Citizenship". The Canberra Times. ACT: National Library of Australia. 28 October 1976. p. 17. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
9. ^ Downer, Alexander (29 June 2004). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014.
10. ^ Downer, Alexander (15 August 2006). "Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015.
11. ^ Smith, Stephen (16 June 2008). "Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015.
12. ^ Rudd, Kevin (30 July 2011). "Diplomatic appointment - Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015.
13. ^ Benson, Simon (28 June 2014). "Brave Aussie ambassador in Baghdad Lyndall Sachs has stayed on amid the escalating crisis". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp.
14. ^ Bishop, Julie (20 July 2015). "Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 23 August 2015.
15. ^ "Diplomat appointed new Iraq ambassador". SBS. AAP. 20 July 2015.
16. ^ Bishop, Julie (10 January 2018). "Ambassador to Iraq" (Press release). Australian Government.
17. ^ Payne, Marise. "Ambassador to Iraq". Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 May 2022.

## External links[edit]

* Australian Embassy, Iraq

* v
* t
* e

Lists of heads of diplomatic missions of Australia

Bilateral
Ambassadors|

* Afghanistan
* Algeria
* Argentina
* Austria
* Belgium
* Brazil
* Cambodia
* Chile
* China
* Colombia
* Croatia
* Denmark
* East Timor
* Egypt
* Ethiopia
* Estonia
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Holy See
* Hungary
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kuwait
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Mexico
* Micronesia
* Mongolia
* Morocco
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Netherlands
* North Korea
* Norway
* Peru
* Philippines
* Poland
* Portugal
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Serbia
* South Korea
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Thailand
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Arab Emirates
* United States
* Venezuela
* Vietnam
* Zimbabwe

High Commissioners|

* Bangladesh
* Brunei
* Canada
* Cook Islands
* Cyprus
* Fiji
* Ghana
* India
* Kenya
* Kiribati
* Malaysia
* Malta
* Mauritius
* Nauru
* New Zealand
* Nigeria
* Niue
* Pakistan
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa
* Singapore
* Solomon Islands
* South Africa
* Sri Lanka
* Tonga
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Tuvalu
* United Kingdom
* Vanuatu

Consuls-General|

* Auckland
* Bali
* Chengdu
* Chennai
* Chicago
* Guangzhou
* Hong Kong and Macau
* Ho Chi Minh City
* Honolulu
* Houston
* Kolkata
* Lae
* Makassar
* Milan
* Mumbai
* Noumea
* New York
* Papeete
* Phuket
* San Francisco
* Shanghai
* Shenyang
* Surabaya

International organisations|

* APEC
* ASEAN
* African Union
* European Union and NATO
* ICAO
* IMO
* OECD
* Pacific Islands Forum
* United Nations in New York
* United Nations in Geneva
* United Nations in Nairobi
* United Nations Agencies in Rome
* United Nations in Vienna
* UNESCO
* WTO

Special Representatives|

* Afghanistan
* Climate Change
* Counter-Terrorism
* Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology
* Environment
* Gender Equality
* Human Rights
* Palestine
* People Smuggling and Human Trafficking
* Regional Health Security
* Special Envoys
* Taiwan

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template