High Commissioner to Nauru

Today I announce the appointment of Mr John Donnelly as Australia's next High Commissioner to Nauru.

Australia and Nauru have a close and long-standing relationship. Australia is Nauru's largest trade, investment and development partner. Our aid program is continuing to make progress on key development priorities, particularly in the areas of public financial management, infrastructure, health and education.

Australia values the important contribution Nauru is making to deter illegal migration and combat people smuggling, including through offshore processing. We work with Nauru in multilateral forums such as the United Nations and the Pacific Islands Forum to address common global and regional challenges.

Mr Donnelly is a career officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He is currently Director of the Performance and Practice Management Section in the Internal Audit Branch and previously was a Director in the Internal Audit Branch in the former AusAID.

He served overseas with the then Department of Immigration and Citizenship. He served as Counsellor (Immigration) in Nairobi, with earlier postings to Amman and Jakarta.

Mr Donnelly holds a Masters of Public Administration from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Sydney.

He is expected to take up his appointment in December 2015. I thank outgoing High Commissioner Martin Quinn for his contribution since 2014 to advancing Australia's interests in Nauru.