Highlights
- Mr O’Farrell has a Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University, Canberra.
- Born in Melbourne, Mr O’Farrell grew up in Darwin.
- He is married to Rosemary and they have two adult sons.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne made the announcement on Tuesday.
“Today I announce the appointment of The Hon Barry O’Farrell AO as Australia’s next High Commissioner to the Republic of India,” Ms Payne said in a statement.
The two-way trade between Australia and India is valued at $30.7 billion.
Ms Payne called India a significant trading partner and said the government was keen to expand Australia’s trade and economic relationship with India.
“Australia has strong strategic and defence ties with India, and the scale and complexity of our joint activities continue to expand. There are around 700,000 people of Indian origin currently residing in Australia, driving our substantial education, cultural and tourism links.
“The Government will continue to push an ambitious agenda to expand our trade and economic relationship, as outlined in the India Economic Strategy (IES),” Ms Payne said.
Mr O’Farrell will replace outgoing High Commissioner Ms Harinder Sidhu and will also have non-resident accreditation to Bhutan.
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Mr O’Farrell served in the Parliament of New South Wales from 1995 to 2015, including as the State’s 43rdPremier between 2011 and 2014.
As Premier, Mr O’Farrell initiated and led annual trade missions to India to promote economic, cultural and social links between New South Wales and the states of India.
He has also served as NSW’s Special Envoy for India and has made a significant contribution as the Deputy Chair of the Australia India Council Board.
Mr O’Farrell who served as the Premier of NSW was forced to resign after admitting to misleading the corruption watchdog over a $3000 bottle of wine.
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