High Commissioner to Brunei

Today I announce the appointment of Mr Luke Arnold as Australia’s next High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam.

Australia enjoys a warm and longstanding relationship with Brunei Darussalam, focused on defence, trade, investment, and education links. Our relationship has been strengthened further with Brunei Darussalam’s strong leadership as ASEAN Chair in 2021.

Like Australia, Brunei Darussalam is committed to open, rules-based markets, including through participation in key regional trade agreements. In 2019-20, two-way trade was valued at $1.5 billion.

We have a shared interest in a stable, prosperous and resilient region. Australia looks forward to continuing to work closely with Brunei Darussalam in 2022.

Mr Arnold is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Deputy Head of Mission, Australian Embassy, Phnom Penh. He has also served overseas in the Australian Embassy in Jakarta. Prior to joining the Australian Public Service, Mr Arnold worked for the United Nations and Minter Ellison Lawyers.

Mr Arnold speaks Bahasa Indonesia and holds a Master of Laws from the University of London; a Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice and Ethics from Monash University; and a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Melbourne.

I thank former High Commissioner Tiffany McDonald for her contributions to advancing Australia’s interests in Brunei since 2020.