# List of ambassadors of Australia to Belgium

The ambassador of Australia to Belgium 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 Kingdom of Belgium in Brussels. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and holds non-resident accreditation for Luxembourg (since 1970). The ambassador also acts as Australia's ambassador to the European Union (EU), since 1962, and ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) since 2012. The current ambassador is Caroline Millar since November 2021.

## Posting history

Belgium and Australia have enjoyed official diplomatic relations since 1 May 1959 when Australia appointed Edwin McCarthy, ambassador to the Netherlands in The Hague, as the non-resident ambassador to Belgium. McCarthy also served as Australia's first ambassador to the European Communities, when he was appointed in March 1962, just before he left his post in the Netherlands and Belgium, until he retired in 1964. When McCarthy retired, Ralph Harry succeeded him as both ambassador to Belgium and the European Communities (became the EU in 1993).
On 18 September 1970, the governments of Australia and Luxembourg announced the establishment of diplomatic relations at ambassador level, with ambassador Owen Davis receiving dual accreditation while resident in Brussels.
Australia has been involved on an official level (as a 'global partner') with NATO since 2005 and the first Australian ambassador to NATO was Brendan Nelson, appointed on 20 January 2012 following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between NATO and Australia.

## List of ambassadors

| # | Officeholder | Other offices | Residency | Term start | Term end | Time in office |
| 1 | Edwin McCarthy | (subsequently appointed as Ambassador to the European Communities) | The Hague, Netherlands | 1 May 1959 (1959-05-01) | 7 March 1962 (1962-03-07) | 2 years, 310 days |
| 2 | Walter Crocker CBE | | The Hague, Netherlands | 13 June 1962 (1962-06-13) | January 1965 (1965-01) | 2 years, 202 days |
| – | James Cumes (Chargé d'affaires) | | Brussels, Belgium | 25 September 1961 (1961-09-25) | January 1965 (1965-01) | 3 years, 98 days |
| 3 | Ralph Harry CBE | | Brussels, Belgium | January 1965 (1965-01) | 28 January 1969 (1969-01-28) | 4 years, 27 days |
| 4 | Owen Davis | | Brussels, Belgium | 28 January 1969 (1969-01-28) | 27 January 1972 (1972-01-27) | 2 years, 364 days |
| – | Bruce Woodberry (Chargé d'affaires) | | Brussels, Belgium | 27 January 1972 (1972-01-27) | 1972 (1972) | 309 days |
| 5 | Allan Eastman CBE | | Brussels, Belgium | 1972 (1972) | February 1975 (1975-02) | 2–3 years |
| 6 | James Cumes | | Brussels, Belgium | February 1975 (1975-02) | September 1977 (1977-09) | 2 years, 7 months |
| 7 | James Plimsoll | | Brussels, Belgium | September 1977 (1977-09) | May 1980 (1980-05) | 2 years, 8 months |
| 8 | Roy Fernandez | | Brussels, Belgium | May 1980 (1980-05) | January 1983 (1983-01) | 2 years, 8 months |
| 9 | Harold David Anderson AO, OBE | | Brussels, Belgium | January 1983 (1983-01) | August 1987 (1987-08) | 4 years, 7 months |
| 10 | Peter Curtis | | Brussels, Belgium | August 1987 (1987-08) | October 1991 (1991-10) | 4 years, 2 months |
| 11 | David Sadleir | | Brussels, Belgium | October 1991 (1991-10) | 27 April 1992 (1992-04-27) | 6 months |
| 12 | Ted Pocock | | Brussels, Belgium | June 1992 (1992-06) | January 1997 (1997-01) | 4 years, 7 months |
| 13 | Donald Kenyon | | Brussels, Belgium | January 1997 (1997-01) | May 2000 (2000-05) | 3 years, 4 months |
| 14 | Joanna Hewitt | | Brussels, Belgium | May 2000 (2000-05) | November 2003 (2003-11) | 3 years, 6 months |
| 15 | Peter Grey | | Brussels, Belgium | November 2003 (2003-11) | January 2007 (2007-01) | 3 years, 2 months |
| 16 | Alan Thomas | | Brussels, Belgium | January 2007 (2007-01) | January 2010 (2010-01) | 3 years |
| 17 | Brendan Nelson | | Brussels, Belgium | January 2010 (2010-01) | October 2012 (2012-10) | 2 years, 9 months |
| 18 | Major General Duncan Lewis AO, DSC, CSC | | Brussels, Belgium | 18 October 2012 (2012-10-18) | September 2014 (2014-09) | 2 years |
| 19 | Mark Higgie | | Brussels, Belgium | September 2014 (2014-09) | 6 February 2018 (2018-02-06) | 3 years, 5 months |
| 20 | Justin Brown PSM | | Brussels, Belgium | 6 February 2018 (2018-02-06) | 11 January 2021 (2021-01-11) | 2 years, 340 days |
| – | Trudy Witbreuk (Chargé d'affaires) | | Brussels, Belgium | 11 January 2021 (2021-01-11) | November 2021 (2021-11) | 294 days |
| 21 | Caroline Millar | | Brussels, Belgium | November 2021 (2021-11) | incumbent | 2 years, 11 months |

### Ambassador to the European Communities

| # | Officeholder | Image | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
| (1) | Edwin McCarthy | | 7 March 1962 (1962-03-07) | 17 March 1964 (1964-03-17) | 2 years, 10 days | |
| Subsequent appointments concurrently held by the Ambassador to Belgium |||||||