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Philip Green (diplomat)
Australian diplomat From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Philip Green is an Australian diplomat who is currently the High Commissioner of Australia to India. He concurrently serves as the non-resident Ambassador to Bhutan.[1][2]
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Early life and education
He holds a bachelor's in arts and a bachelor's in law from the University of Sydney.[3]
Career
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In 2002, he was awarded the OAM for his role in the response to the 2002 Bali Bombings.[3]
He served as the Australian high commissioner in South Africa (2004-2008).[4] While High Commissioner to South Africa, he concurrently served as non-resident High Commissioner to Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia. He served as Australia's High Commissioner to Kenya from 1998 to 2000, and concurrently Ambassador to Ethiopia and non-resident High Commissioner to Uganda, Tanzania and Eritrea.
In 2004 he led the Secretariat for the Review of Australian Intelligence Agencies.[5]
Subsequently, he was appointed International Advisor to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and was later appointed the Chief of Staff when Rudd was foreign minister.[6][4]
He was appointed the Australian Ambassador to Germany in 2020 and later High Commissioner to India in 2023.[7] From 2020 until 2022, Green also served as Australia's chief diplomat in both Liechtenstein and Switzerland.[8]
Green presented his credentials as Australia's High Commissioner to India to India's President Murmu on 21 August 2023.[9] On 6 June 2024 he presented his credentials to The King of Bhutan.[10]
Green's selection as High Commissioner to India was seen as a departure from previous appointees. He arrived in India with less experience or connections to the country than his four immediate predecessors: Barry O'Farrell had served as the Deputy Chair of the Australia-India Council Board (2015-19) and as Premier of New South Wales, established sister-state agreements between NSW and Gujarat and Maharashtra; Harinder Sidhu had personal and cultural ties with India; Patrick Suckling had served in New Delhi as a junior diplomat; and Peter Varghese had personal and cultural ties.[11] Green's appointment following O'Farrell was the first time since 1997 that Australia had selected consecutive white male High Commissioners to India.
In a keynote address to outline his vision as Australia's High Commissioner to India in December 2023, Green defined the Australia-India relationship as driven by "necessity, opportunity, and affinity". He said his priority was to "get more things done", with his priorities being maritime domain awareness, two-way trade and investment (including a full Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement), and a focused green energy and critical minerals partnership.[12]
However, between November 2023 and June 2025 no Australian Cabinet Minister visited India and no major outcomes were announced.[13] This was a lull following the tenure of Green's predecessor, The Hon Barry O'Farrell AO (2020-2023), during which Australia-India signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, secured a free trade agreement, and initiated Annual Summits and biennial Foreign and Defence Minister 2+2 Meetings. O'Farrell's tenure also saw regular Cabinet-level visits between India and Australia.[14]
In a further departure from his predecessors, Green spoke often about "differences" between Australia and India, including on governance, institutions, and society, and India's alleged actions in United States and Canada.[15]
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Personal life
He is married to Susan Marks, who is a professor at the London School of Economics.[6] This is Green's second marriage.
Awards
- OAM
- Honorary degrees from James Cook University and Murdoch University
References
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