# List of high commissioners of Australia to Singapore

The high commissioner of Australia to Singapore 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 Republic of Singapore. The high commissioner has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary.

## Posting history

The earliest formal diplomatic representation dates from 1922, when Egbert Sheaf was appointed Trade Commissioner for the East based in Singapore, the capital of the British Straits Settlements, who served until January 1925.
On 1 September 1941, the Minister for External Affairs, Sir Frederick Stewart, announced the appointment of Vivian Gordon Bowden as Australia's Official Representative at Singapore, with the aim of being the official intermediary between the Commonwealth Government and the British authorities. Bowden was supported by a Commercial Secretary, Alfred Wootton, and a Third Secretary, John Quinn. Bowden was captured following the Fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942 and was murdered by his Japanese captors two days later, despite his diplomatic status and being a non-combatant prisoner of war. With the end of Japanese occupation, Australia posted a resident Commissioner and Trade Commissioner in post-war Singapore from 1946 representing Australia in British Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, as well as Singapore, prior to their federation with Malaysia in 1963, when the post became the Deputy High Commission to Malaysia, reporting to the new High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Singapore and Australia have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since 10 August 1965, following Singapore's independence when it was expelled from Malaysia the day before on 9 August. Australia was the first country to recognise Singapore and the serving Prime Minister at the time of recognition, Sir Robert Menzies, announced "I have informed the Singapore Prime Minister that we will be happy to establish full diplomatic relations with Singapore at the level of high commissioner and that we wish Singapore well in its new sovereignty and look forward to a continuance of close and friendly relations with the new State and with Malaysia." Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had made his first visit to Australia in March 1965. Bill Pritchett, who had been serving as deputy high commissioner to Malaysia in Singapore since January 1964, was appointed as the first high commissioner three days after recognition, by Foreign Minister Paul Hasluck.
In 2015, Australia and Singapore celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations alongside celebrations for 50 years of Singapore's independence.

## Office-holders
### High commissioners

| # | Officeholder | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office |
| 1 | Bill Pritchett | 13 August 1965 (1965-08-13) | February 1967 (1967-02) | 1 year, 5 months |
| 2 | Alfred Parsons | February 1967 (1967-02) | 9 June 1970 (1970-06-09) | 3 years, 4 months |
| 3 | Nicholas Parkinson | June 1970 (1970-06) | December 1973 (1973-12) | 3 years, 6 months |
| 4 | Robert Birch | December 1973 (1973-12) | February 1977 (1977-02) | 3 years, 2 months |
| 5 | Laurence Corkery | February 1977 (1977-02) | January 1978 (1978-01) | 11 months |
| 6 | Geoffrey Price | January 1978 (1978-01) | April 1981 (1981-04) | 3 years, 3 months |
| 7 | Kenneth McDonald | April 1981 (1981-04) | December 1983 (1983-12) | 2 years, 8 months |
| 8 | Walter Handmer | December 1983 (1983-12) | March 1988 (1988-03) | 4 years, 3 months |
| 9 | Margaret Rosaleen McGovern | March 1988 (1988-03) | September 1990 (1990-09) | 2 years, 6 months |
| 10 | Alan Brown | September 1990 (1990-09) | October 1993 (1993-10) | 3 years, 1 month |
| 11 | Ted Delofski | October 1993 (1993-10) | February 1997 (1997-02) | 3 years, 4 months |
| 12 | Murray McLean | February 1997 (1997-02) | August 2001 (2001-08) | 4 years, 6 months |
| 13 | Gary Quinlan | August 2001 (2001-08) | July 2005 (2005-07) | 3 years, 11 months |
| 14 | Miles Kupa | July 2005 (2005-07) | 23 October 2008 (2008-10-23) | 3 years, 3 months |
| 15 | Doug Chester | 23 October 2008 (2008-10-23) | August 2012 (2012-08) | 3 years, 9 months |
| 16 | Philip Green | 25 August 2012 (2012-08-25) | December 2016 (2016-12) | 4 years, 3 months |
| 17 | Bruce Gosper | January 2017 (2017-01) | January 2021 (2021-01) | 4 years |
| 18 | Will Hodgman | 9 February 2021 (2021-02-09) | February 2023 | 4 years, 17 days |
| 19 | Allaster Cox | 18 April 2023 (2023-04-18) | Incumbent | 1 year, 314 days |

### Prior appointments

| Officeholder | Title | Term start date | Term end date | Time in office |
| Egbert Sheaf | Trade Commissioner | 25 July 1922 (1922-07-25) | 19 January 1925 (1925-01-19) | 2 years, 178 days |
| Posting abolished ||||||
| Vivian Gordon Bowden | Official Representative | 1 September 1941 (1941-09-01) | 14 February 1942 (1942-02-14) | 166 days |
| Posting closed (due to the Fall of Singapore) ||||||
| John Charles Rookwood Proud | Political Representative | 2 December 1945 (1945-12-02) | 21 March 1946 (1946-03-21) | 109 days |
| Claude Massey | Commissioner for Malaya and South-East Asia | 21 March 1946 (1946-03-21) | 16 May 1950 (1950-05-16) | 4 years, 56 days |
| Laurence McIntyre (Acting) | Commissioner for Malaya and South-East Asia | 16 May 1950 (1950-05-16) | 10 April 1951 (1951-04-10) | 329 days |
| Tom Critchley | Commissioner for Malaya and South-East Asia | 11 April 1951 (1951-04-11) | 8 November 1952 (1952-11-08) | 1 year, 211 days |
| Laurence McIntyre | Commissioner for Malaya and South-East Asia | 9 November 1952 (1952-11-09) | 23 March 1954 (1954-03-23) | 1 year, 134 days |
| Alan Watt | Commissioner for Malaya and South-East Asia | 23 March 1954 (1954-03-23) | 7 April 1956 (1956-04-07) | 2 years, 15 days |
| Ralph Harry | Commissioner for Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo | 7 April 1956 (1956-04-07) | 20 September 1957 (1957-09-20) | 1 year, 166 days |
| Alexander Hay Borthwick (Acting) | Commissioner for Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo | 20 September 1957 (1957-09-20) | 18 December 1957 (1957-12-18) | 89 days |
| David McNicol | Commissioner for Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo | 18 December 1957 (1957-12-18) | 28 September 1960 (1960-09-28) | 2 years, 285 days |
| John Ryan (Acting) | Commissioner for Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo | 28 September 1960 (1960-09-28) | 5 November 1960 (1960-11-05) | 38 days |
| Gordon Jockel | Commissioner for Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo | 5 November 1960 (1960-11-05) | 20 January 1963 (1963-01-20) | 2 years, 76 days |
| W. Kevin Flanagan (Acting) | Commissioner for Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo | 20 January 1963 (1963-01-20) | 12 April 1963 (1963-04-12) | 82 days |
| Richard Woolcott (Acting) | Commissioner for Singapore, Brunei, Sarawak and North Borneo | 12 April 1963 (1963-04-12) | 15 September 1963 (1963-09-15) | 271 days |
| Richard Woolcott (Acting) | Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia, resident in Singapore | 16 September 1963 (1963-09-16) | 8 January 1964 (1964-01-08) | 271 days |
| Bill Pritchett | Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia, resident in Singapore | 8 January 1964 (1964-01-08) | 13 August 1965 (1965-08-13) | 1 year, 217 days |
| High Commissioner appointed ||||||