# List of ambassadors of Australia to France

The ambassador of Australia to France 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 French Republic. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and holds non-resident accreditation for Algeria, Mauritania (since 2001), Monaco. From April 1976 to March 1991 there was a resident ambassador in Algeria and has since been held by the ambassador, excepting a period from 1999–2002 when it was held by the ambassador in Cairo. From October 1972 – August 1975, October 1976 – August 1978, January 1988 – September 1990, and March 1994 – September 1996 the Ambassador served as Permanent Delegate of Australia to UNESCO, a role that is now held by the Deputy Head of Mission. The Deputy Head also serves as the non-resident accredited Ambassador to Chad. From 1978 to 2017, the ambassador had responsibility for relations with Morocco until the establishment of a resident embassy in Rabat.
Gillian Bird PSM was appointed ambassador in November 2020. France and Australia have had official diplomatic relations since Australia opened its Legation in Paris in 1945. The Legation was upgraded to Embassy status in 1948, when Colonel William Hodgson, who served as Minister to France, was appointed as Ambassador.

## List of officeholders

The first official representative of Australia in France was Clive H. Voss, who was appointed as a commercial agent in Paris in 1919. His appointment was made on the personal initiative of Prime Minister Billy Hughes, in line with his attempts to establish a system of trade commissioners. Voss established an office in the premises of the British Chamber of Commerce in Paris and was subordinate to the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Despite criticism of his effectiveness, he remained in the position until the Fall of France in 1940 and "helped establish the idea of a distinct Australian official representation in France as a norm".

### Minister and ambassadors to France

| Ordinal | Officeholder | Title | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office |
| 1 | Colonel William Hodgson OBE | Minister to France | 11 March 1945 (1945-03-11) | 1948 (1948) | 4 years, 7 months |
| 1 | Colonel William Hodgson OBE | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1948 (1948) | November 1949 (1949-11) | 4 years, 7 months |
| 2 | Sir Keith Officer OBE, MC | Ambassador of Australia to France | 18 April 1950 (1950-04-18) | 1955 (1955) | 4–5 years |
| 3 | Alfred Stirling CBE | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1955 (1955) | 1959 (1959) | 3–4 years |
| 4 | Sir Edward Ronald Walker CBE | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1969 (1969) | 1968 (1968) | 8–9 years |
| 5 | Alan Renouf OBE | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1969 (1969) | 1973 (1973) | 3–4 years |
| 6 | Harold David Anderson | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1973 (1973) | 1978 (1978) | 4–5 years |
| 7 | John Rowland AO | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1978 (1978) | 1982 (1982) | 3–4 years |
| 8 | Peter Curtis | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1982 (1982) | 1987 (1987) | 4–5 years |
| 9 | Ted Pocock AM | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1987 (1987) | 1991 (1991) | 3–4 years |
| 10 | Clive Jones | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1991 (1991) | 1993 (1993) | 1–2 years |
| 11 | Alan Brown | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1993 (1993) | 1996 (1996) | 2–3 years |
| 12 | John Spender KC | Ambassador of Australia to France | 1996 (1996) | 2000 (2000) | 3–4 years |
| 13 | Bill Fisher | Ambassador of Australia to France | 2000 (2000) | 2005 (2005) | 4–5 years |
| 14 | Penny Wensley AO | Ambassador of Australia to France | 2005 (2005) | 2008 (2008) | 2–3 years |
| 15 | David Ritchie AO | Ambassador of Australia to France | 2008 (2008) | 2011 (2011) | 2–3 years |
| 16 | Ric Wells | Ambassador of Australia to France | 2011 (2011) | 2014 (2014) | 2–3 years |
| 17 | Stephen Brady AO, CVO | Ambassador of Australia to France | 31 March 2014 (2014-03-31) | 21 July 2017 (2017-07-21) | 3 years, 112 days |
| 18 | Brendan Berne | Ambassador of Australia to France | 21 July 2017 (2017-07-21) | October 2020 (2020-10) | 3 years, 2 months |
| 19 | Gillian Bird PSM | Ambassador of Australia to France | 5 November 2020 (2020-11-05) | 12 December 2024 (2024-12-12) | 4 years, 37 days |
| 20 | Lynette Wood | Ambassador of Australia to France | 13 December 2024 (2024-12-13) | incumbent | 73 days |