Today I announce the appointment of Ms Elizabeth Ward as Australia’s next Consul-General in Hong Kong.
Australia has extensive interests in Hong Kong, built on strong trade and investment connections and long-standing people-to-people links. Hong Kong is home to one of the largest Australian communities in Asia.
The Australian Government welcomed the entry into force of the Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement and an Investment Agreement in January this year. In 2019, Hong Kong was Australia’s eleventh most important destination for merchandise exports and seventh-largest services export market. Hong Kong was our fifth largest source of total foreign investment in 2019.
Ms Ward is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She was Australia’s Chief Negotiator for the Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement, and the Chief Negotiator for Australia in negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Most recently she has served as First Assistant Secretary, in the Trade, Investment and Business Engagement Division, and has also been Chief Negotiator in the Regional Trade Agreements Division, and First Assistant Secretary, Office of Trade Negotiations. Ms Ward has served in Washington, New Delhi and Cairo.
Ms Ward holds a Master of Development Studies from Deakin University; a Bachelor of Economics; and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the Australian National University.
I thank former Consul-General Michaela Browning for her contributions to advancing Australia’s interests in Hong Kong since 2017.
