New High Commissioner appointed as 200 000 Australians trace their ancestry to South Africa

Australia issued a statement on January 28 announcing the selection of Tegan Brink as the new High Commissioner to South Africa.

Australia has appointed a new High Commissioner to South Africa.
Senator Penny Wong, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, stated that South Africa is Australia’s most important trade and investment partner on the African continent, and that more than 200,000 Australians were born in the country.

The strong and lasting relationship between Australia and South Africa is supported by a solid economic collaboration and broad people-to-people ties, according to Wong.

The new High Commissioner, Brink, will be accredited to Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Namibia. Brink is a senior career officer in the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She succeeds Gita Kamath, who has held the position since 2019.

The Australian government stated that it cooperates with South Africa in numerous areas, including science, research, and Indian Ocean and Antarctic concerns.

“South Africa is a valued partner in the United Nations (UN) and other international fora, such as the G20, the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and the Commonwealth of Nations,” Wong stated.

The most recent position held by Brink was Assistant Secretary in the Strategic Investment Branch. Previously, she served in New York as the Deputy Head of Mission of the Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations and Chief of Staff to the President of the United Nations General Assembly.

After the United Kingdom, Australia has the second-highest concentration of South African diaspora.