High Commissioner to Sri Lanka

Today I announce the appointment of Mr Matthew Duckworth as Australia’s next High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is a key partner for Australia in the Northeast Indian Ocean. Our relationship is based on strong community links, our longstanding development partnership, growing trade and investment ties, and our shared commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean Region.

Australia and Sri Lanka work closely together to find practical solutions to shared regional and global challenges, including transnational crime, regional maritime security and people smuggling.

Our countries also share strong people-to-people ties, and Australia’s Sri Lankan community of more than 160,000 people makes an important and valued contribution to Australia’s multicultural society. 

Mr Duckworth is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Assistant Secretary, United States Trade Taskforce and Deputy Chief Negotiator, Australia-EU Free Trade Agreement.

He has previously served overseas in Indonesia and Cambodia.

I thank outgoing High Commissioner Paul Stephens for his contributions to advancing Australia’s interests in Sri Lanka since 2022.