High Commissioner to Malaysia

Today I announce the appointment of Mr Andrew Goledzinowski AM as Australia's next High Commissioner to Malaysia.

Australia and Malaysia enjoy a strong relationship, which was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2015. The relationship is underpinned by shared interests and close people-to-people ties forged over many decades through education, business, tourism and migration.

Malaysia is Australia's eleventh largest trading partner, and our second largest source of investment from ASEAN. Our trade relationship is underpinned by the Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement, with two-way trade valued at $17.6 billion in 2016.

Australia and Malaysia are close defence partners, including through our joint membership of the Five Power Defence Arrangements. We collaborate closely to address a range of threats to regional security, particularly transnational crime and terrorism.

Mr Goledzinowski is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Ambassador for People Smuggling and Human Trafficking. He has previously served overseas as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York and at the Australian Embassies in Geneva, Port Vila and Pretoria.

Mr Goledzinowski was an Adviser and Senior Adviser to Foreign Ministers Gareth Evans and Alexander Downer, and has served as Chief of Staff to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as the Senior Australian Official in the Coalition Provision Authority, Baghdad and as the World Bank's Representative in Iraq. He holds a Bachelor of Jurisprudence and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales and is a Member of the Order of Australia.

I thank outgoing High Commissioner Rod Smith PSM for his contributions to advancing Australia's interests in Malaysia since 2014.