The Australian Consulate-General in Noumea, New Caledonia represents the Commonwealth of Australia in New Caledonia, a special collectivity of France, and is also accredited to the Pacific French Overseas collectivity of Wallis and Futuna (Australia's relations with French Polynesia are now handled by a separate consulate-general since 2021). The Consul-General also serves as Australia's representative to the Noumea-based Pacific Community. The Consulate-General, one of four in New Caledonia (alongside New Zealand, Indonesia and Vanuatu), has since 1976 had its offices at 19 avenue du Maréchal Foch, Nouméa.
The Australian Consulate-General in Nouméa reports directly to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra, Australia, just as the Australian embassies and high commissions around the world and is Australia's fourth-oldest diplomatic posting (after London, 1910; Ottawa, 1939; and Washington, February 1940), having been established on 6 August 1940, when Bertram Ballard was posted to Nouméa. The consulate celebrated its 75th anniversary on 6 August 2015.[1][2]
Consulate history
First established on 6 August 1940 with the appointment of Bertram Ballard as Official Representative of the Commonwealth Government in Nouméa, Ballard's responsibilities included the "full power and authority on behalf of the Commonwealth Government to conduct discussions and/or to agree and conclude with the administration of New Caledonia any matters or agreements that may tend to the attainment of co-operation in 'the struggle against the Berlin-Rome Axis at the side of Great Britain' and to sign for an on behalf of the Commonwealth Government everything so agreed upon and concluded".[3] However, the time of Ballard's appointment meant that the real reason for his appointment was to report to Canberra the situation inside the French colony, including the political sympathies of the colonial administration. The administration in Nouméa at the time was decidedly pro-Vichy French, but the Australian Government continued to be hesitant in encouraging a takeover of the colony or encouraging Free French elements in the colony.
However, Ballard's report of 8 September 1940 noted that the provisional Governor, Colonel Denis, was not likely to be accommodating to a settlement in any case and that the people of the colony would "welcome and follow" a Governor appointed by De Gaulle, spurred the Australian Government, led by Minister for External Affairs, John McEwen, into action.[4] This action culminated in the sending of HMAS Adelaide to escort Free French Governor-designate Henri Sautot to Nouméa, bringing the colony to Free France on 19 September.
With the end of the war, the Official Representative's Office was upgraded to a Consulate, and the first consul appointed was Harold Stuart Barnett, appointed on 18 December 1945. From then until 20 February 1980, the agency was known as the Australian Consulate, when posting was upgraded to a Consulate-General.[5]
1987 recall incident
In January 1987, the French Government declared the serving Australian Consul-General, John Dauth, as "persona non grata", prompting his recall from the posting. The reasoning the French Government (represented by Minister for Overseas Departments and Territories, Bernard Pons) gave for Dauth's recall was that he "had provided aid to extremist members of the pro-independence
FLNKS group which had links with Libya", an accusation that was firmly repudiated by Foreign Minister Bill Hayden, who called in the French representative in Canberra to register an official protest.[6][7]
Hayden had noted that "Mr Dauth has done no more than the Australian Government expects of any government official representing its interests overseas" and it was reported that his recall had been motivated by a recent breakdown in Australia–France relations, particularly over the future of New Caledonia. On 5 January France had suspended ministerial contacts with Australia because of their support for efforts at the United Nations to have New Caledonia put back on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories (it had been removed from the list in 1947) and added to the Decolonisation List, which were successful in a resolution of the UN General Assembly of 2 December 1986.[8][9] France's actions to expel Dauth and its reasoning for doing so were also criticised by the governments of Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu's Prime Minister, Walter Lini, who noted that "the French Government's reaction after its defeat on the United Nations vote ... could be said to be undiplomatic, childish, naive and reactionary".[10][11]
French Polynesia
From 1990 to 2021, there existed an Honorary Consulate in Papeete, French Polynesia, held from 2002 to 2021 by Marc Siu, who reported to the consulate-general in Nouméa.[12] In May 2021, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced the establishment of an Australian Consulate-General in French Polynesia, upgrading the Australian representation there as part of an expansion of the country's diplomatic presence in the Pacific region that included appointing official representation to every member of the Pacific Islands Forum.[13] Claire Scott was appointed on the same day as the new consul-general.[14]
^"French carpeted over accusation". The Canberra Times. Vol. 61, no. 18, 757. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 10 February 1987. p. 1. Retrieved 4 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Hayden denies consul misspent aid funds". The Canberra Times. Vol. 61, no. 18, 730. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 14 January 1987. p. 1. Retrieved 4 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"UNGA/Res/41/41". United Nations Documents. 2 December 1986. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
^"Fiji joins critics of France in Pacific". The Canberra Times. Vol. 61, no. 18, 746. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 30 January 1987. p. 4. Retrieved 4 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"France naive, reactionary: Vanuatu PM". The Canberra Times. Vol. 61, no. 18, 733. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 17 January 1987. p. 12. Retrieved 4 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Australian Envoy For New Caledonia". News. Vol. XXXV, no. 5, 314. South Australia. 6 August 1940. p. 3. Retrieved 19 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"CONSUL TO NOUMEA". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 11 January 1946. p. 2. Retrieved 21 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"CANBERRA DIARY". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 29 January 1958. p. 5. Retrieved 21 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"CANBERRA DIARY". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 25 June 1958. p. 5. Retrieved 21 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"CANBERRA DIARY". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 21 May 1958. p. 5. Retrieved 21 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"IN BRIEF". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 12 May 1986. p. 3. Retrieved 19 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"All's quiet in New Caledonia... for now". The Canberra Times. Vol. 61, no. 18, 811. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 5 April 1987. p. 4. Retrieved 19 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Diplomatic postings announced". The Canberra Times. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 8 June 1987. p. 3. Retrieved 19 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Consul General in New Caledonia". Australian Ambassadors and other representatives. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
^"APPENDIX 16 Overseas Accreditation". Annual Report 1997/1998. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 12 October 1998. p. 296. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
^"APPENDIX 16 OVERSEAS ACCREDITATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES". Annual Report 1998/1999. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 6 October 1999. p. 311. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
^"APPENDIX 16 OVERSEAS ACCREDITATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES". Annual Report 1999/2000. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 3 October 2000. p. 330. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
^"About us - Polynésie française". Consulat général d'Australie Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie (in French). Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Archived from the original on 1 May 2006. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
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