The ambassador of Switzerland to Australia is an officer of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the head of the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation to the Commonwealth of Australia. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and holds non-resident accreditation for Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The ambassador is based with the embassy in Forrest in Canberra.
The ambassador is currently Caroline Bichet-Anthamatten. Switzerland and Australia have enjoyed diplomatic relations since 1961, although consular representation has existed even before in Australia and its previous colonies: in Sydney since 1855, Melbourne since 1856, Brisbane since 1889, Adelaide since 1879 and consular agencies in Darwin (1978), Hobart (1968) and Perth (1971).
Ambassadors, 1961–present IncumbentStart of termEnd of termDr Friedrich Gygax29 August 196123 March 1965Egbert von Graffenried2 September 19652 March 1970Dr Max König26 May 197031 December 1975Marcel Grossenbacher10 March 197630 November 1978Dr Henri Rossi3 March 197931 October 1984Alfred Glesti1 March 198522 August 1988Dr Arnold Hugentobler25 November 19885 May 1992Peter Niederberger7 September 19922 March 1996Dr Bernhard Marfurt1 April 19962000André Faivet4 May 20001 September 2004Christian Mühlethaler20042008Dr Daniel Woker20082012Marcel Stutz11 April 2012September 2016Pedro Zwahlen 12 October 201631 December 2021Caroline Bichet-Anthamatten 1 January 2022-
Consuls and consuls-general Consuls in Sydney, 1855–present IncumbentStart of termEnd of termLouis Chapalay (honorary consul)18551865August Parrot (honorary consul)18751880Friedrich Plüss (honorary consul)18811884Conrad Staehelin-Werner (honorary consul)18841890Jakob Roth (honorary consul)18901891Max Rutty (honorary consul)18961918Olav Pauss (honorary consul)19181920Eugen Bloch (honorary consul)19201931Eugen Bloch (honorary consul-general)19311933Hans Georg Hedinger (honorary consul-general)19331941Hans Georg Hedinger (consul-general)19411961Jakob Huber (consul-general)19611967Henri Jung (consul-general)19671974Raymond Tellenbach (consul-general)19751985Richard Wolf (consul-general)19851988Hans-Peter Egger (consul-general)19881992Hans Meier (consul-general)19921997Heinz Wey (consul-general)19972001Albert Mehr (consul-general)20012005Jürg Casserini (consul-general)20052009Markus Meli (consul-general)20092013Ernst Steinmann (consul-general)20132017Bernadette Hunkeler Brown (consul-general)20172022Cornelia Camenzind (consul-general)2022-
Consuls in Melbourne, 1856–present IncumbentStart of termEnd of termAchilles Bischoff (honorary Vice-consul)18561857Achilles Bischoff (honorary consul)18571859Samuel Rentsch (honorary consul)18591864Frédéric Guillaume de Pury (honorary consul)18751890Charles Martin (honorary consul)18911906Gustav Stahel (honorary consul)19071921Gustav Stahel (honorary consul-general)19211928Paul Louis Frossard (honorary consul-general)19281931Emile Bisang (honorary consul-general)19311932Johannes Alexander Pietzcker (honorary consul)19321951Paul-Emile Cattin (honorary consul)19511958Edwin Steiner (honorary consul)19581963Curt Mahnig (honorary consul)19641970Urs Karli (honorary consul)19711975Werner Zellweger (honorary consul)19751980Werner Zellweger (consul-general)19801983Henning Rieder (consul-general)19831986Günter Britschgi (consul-general)19871990Leo Renggli (consul-general)19901995Bernard Sandoz (consul-general)1995????Erika Esther Kimpton (honorary consul)20072016Manuela Erb (honorary consul)2016-
Consuls in Adelaide IncumbentStart of termEnd of termJames Page (honorary Vice-consul)30 December 187931 December 1913Eduard Willis Van Senden (honorary Vice-consul)6 November 191431 December 1918Paul Anton Richter (honorary consul)3 June 1969????René Pfister (honorary consul)28 June 20002019Patrick Wille (honorary consul)2019-
Consuls in Brisbane IncumbentStart of termEnd of termJakob Leutenegger (honorary consul)5 March 18891909George Gross (honorary consul)17 March 190930 June 1909William Schoch (honorary consul)25 July 19101925Henri Schaub (honorary consul)4 November 19261960Daniel Gschwind (honorary consul)23 April 2008-
Consuls in Perth IncumbentStart of termEnd of termRudolf Hermann Abplanalp (honorary consul)11 August 197130 June 1993Prof. Ernst Jürg Weber (honorary consul)1 July 19932023
See also Australia–Switzerland relations Foreign relations of Switzerland List of ambassadors of Australia to Germany (accredited to Switzerland)
References
External links Switzerland and Australia