The assistant bishops of Sydney are the assistant bishops in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, Australia. They each assist the Archbishop of Sydney by maintaining delegated episcopal oversight over a particular geographical area.
Prior to the formation of the current "regions" arrangement in around 1967, the archbishop was assisted by a number of suffragan bishops with no particular geographical area (nor expectation to succeed to the diocesan see). The first regional see created was that of Parramatta, whose first assistant bishop was consecrated in 1967. In 1969, the first Bishop of Wollongong was consecrated. The Southern (aka South Sydney) and North regions followed in 1972 and 1975 respectively. In 1993, the fifth regional see, Georges River, was created.
Effective from 1 July 2021, the regions were changed to plan for Sydney's future growth in the southwestern areas. As part of this change: five parishes in the Hills District (Castle Hill, Glenhaven, Dural, Cherrybrook and West Pennant Hills) were moved from the Western Region to Northern Region seven parishes in the Canterbury-Bankstown and St George areas (Sans Souci, Kogarah, Brighton-Rockdale, Bayside, Marrickville, Earlwood and Canterbury) were moved from the Georges River Region to Southern Region 13 parishes in the Macarthur area (Camden, Campbelltown, Cobbity, Denham Court, Eagle Vale, Ingleburn, Menangle, Minto, Narellan, Oran Park, Rosemeadow, South Creek and The Oaks) were moved from the Wollongong Region to Georges River Region.
To reflect the new regional boundaries and the fact that the Georges River Region had moved away from that area, the Georges River Region was renamed to the "South Western Region".
Suffragan bishops of Sydney
Bishops coadjutor of Sydney From Until Incumbent Notes 1926 1932 Gerard D'Arcy-Irvine Died in office. 1932 1935 Sydney Kirkby Died in office. 1935 1961 Venn Pilcher Died in office. 1940 1960 William Hilliard Translated from Nelson; died in office. 1956 1965 Clive Kerle Translated to Armidale. 1958 1966 Marcus Loane Became Archbishop of Sydney. 1960 1964 Goodwin Hudson Returned to the United Kingdom. 1965 1975 Frank Hulme-Moir Translated from Nelson; also Bishop to the Forces 1965–1979 1965 1982 Jack Dain CEO & Senior Assistant Bishop from 1980 1975 1993 Donald Cameron Bishop of North Sydney (1983–1990); diocesan Registrar (1990–1993)
Bishops of the Western Region The Western Region of the diocese, formed in 1967, is based in Parramatta – hence previous bishops have been more commonly known as the Bishop of Parramatta (until around 1993). The Bishop's seat is St John's Cathedral, Parramatta. The Region covers parishes west of Strathfield out to the Blue Mountains and Lithgow. The bishop is often known as the "Bishop of Western Sydney". Bishops of Parramatta From Until Incumbent Notes 1967 1972 Gordon Begbie Died in office. 1973 1982 Donald Robinson Became Archbishop of Sydney. 1982 1989 Ken Short Translated from Wollongong; also Bishop to the Forces 1989 1993 Peter Watson Translated to the Southern region and later to Melbourne. Bishops of the Western Region 1993 2002 Brian King Also Bishop to the Armed Forces. 2003 2019 Ivan Lee 2019 present Gary KooInstallation, 20 December 2019
Bishops of Wollongong The Wollongong Region, created around 1969, covers the Sutherland Shire, Wollongong, Kiama, Shoalhaven and the Southern Highlands. Until 2021 it also covered the Camden and Campbelltown areas. St Michael's Cathedral, Wollongong lies within the region. Bishops of Wollongong From Until Incumbent Notes 1969 1974 Graham Delbridge Translated to Gippsland. 1975 1982 Ken Short Translated to Parramatta; also Bishop to the Forces from 1979 1982 1993 Harry Goodhew Became Archbishop of Sydney. 1993 2006 Reg Piper 2007 2010 Al Stewart 2010 present Peter Hayward
Bishops of the Southern Region The Southern Region extends from the edge of the Pacific Ocean in the east to Strathfield and Concord in the west and from the southern shore of Port Jackson across to the northern and western parts of Botany Bay. The bishop is often referred to as the Bishop of South Sydney. Bishops of the Southern Region From Until Incumbent Notes 1972 1993 John Reid 1993 2000 Peter Watson Translated from Parramatta; translated to Melbourne. 2000 2015 Robert Forsyth 2015 present Michael Stead
Bishops of the Northern Region The Northern Region covers from Port Jackson to the Hawkesbury River and from the Hills District to Palm Beach. The bishop is also sometimes called Bishop of North Sydney. Bishops of the Northern Region From Until Incumbent Notes 1975 1990 Donald Cameron afterward diocesan Registrar (& asst bishop) 1990 2001 Paul Barnett 2002 2013 Glenn Davies Elected Archbishop of Sydney. 2013 Chris Edwards
Bishops of the South Western Region (formerly the Georges River Region) The South Western Region covers the south-western areas of Sydney stretching from Campsie to Campbelltown and including Liverpool, Bankstown and Fairfield. Prior to changes in 2021 the areas in the eastern Canterbury-Bankstown and Bayside areas (which are now part of the Southern Region) were also included. When created in 1993, the bishop was referred to as the "Bishop of Liverpool" (although that title was less convenient due to the existence of an Anglican Bishop of Liverpool in England), and from 2013 until 2021 was then known as the "Bishop of Georges River". Bishops of the South Western Region From Until Incumbent Notes 1993 2001 Ray Smith Bishop of Liverpool 2001 2009 Peter Tasker Bishop of Liverpool 2001–2009; Acting Bishop of Georges River, 2013–2014Sydney Anglicans – Tasker back in Georges River (Accessed 28 August 2013) 2015 Peter Lin Previously Rector of Fairfield with Bossley Park. Known as Bishop of Georges River until 2021.
Bishops for International Relations The Bishop for International Relations represents the Archbishop at consecrations and conferences, and makes pastoral visits across the globe to represent the Diocese.
Bishops for International Relations From Until Incumbent Notes 2009 2019 Peter TaskerBishop of Liverpool, 2001–2009; Acting Bishop of Georges River, 2013–2014 2019 Malcolm Richards
References
Sources