Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Philip Green (diplomat)
Australian diplomat From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
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]
Remove ads
Early life and education
He holds a bachelor's in arts and a bachelor's in law from the University of Sydney.[3]
Career
Summarize
Perspective
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]
Remove ads
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
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads