The Australian Office in Taipei () is the representative office of Australia in Taiwan, functioning as a de facto embassy in the absence of formal diplomatic relations. The office is headed by a Representative.
Its counterpart in Australia is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canberra.
History Before 1972, Australia recognised the Republic of China (Taiwan), and had an embassy in Taipei, opened in 1966. In 1972, diplomatic relations were ended following the decision of the government of Gough Whitlam to recognise the People's Republic of China.
An unofficial organisation known as the Australia-Free China Society, established an office in 1974 to provide services for Australians visiting Taiwan, headed by Lu Chen-kai, Secretary-General of the Sino-Australian Cultural and Economic Association in Taipei. In Australia, Douglas Darby, a member of the NSW Legislative Assembly, President of the Australia-Free China Society, represented Taiwan in Australia.
In 1981, The Australian Commerce and Industry Office under the Australian Chamber of Commerce was established in Taipei, which acted as an unofficial representative. The office adopted its present name in 2012 and is currently administered by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The Visa and Citizenship Office in Seoul, South Korea manages visa services for applicants in Taiwan.
List of representatives # Officeholder Image Term start date Term end date Time in office Notes Bill Mattingly 1981 1990 years Rob O'Donovan 1990 1992 years Colin Heseltine 1992 1997 years Taiwan-Australia Relations: Humming Along, University of Nottingham, February 6, 2014 Sam Gerovich 1997 2001 4 years 2001 2005 4 years Steve Waters 2005 2008 years Alice Cawte 2008 2011 years Kevin Magee 2011 2014 years 2014 2018 years Gary Cowan 2018 2021 years 2021 2023 years 12Robert Niel Fergusson2023Incumbent years
See also Australia–Taiwan relations
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