Diplomatic appointment – Consul-General in Hong Kong
Media release: Dr Craig Emerson MP, Minister for Trade and Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs 26 August 2011
Trade Minister and Acting Foreign Minister, Craig Emerson, has today announced that Mr Paul Tighe will be Australiaâs next Consul-General in Hong Kong.
Mr Tighe is expected to take up his appointment next month, and he will replace Mr Les Luck, who has been Consul-General since April 2008.
Australia has important and enduring interests in Hong Kong. Two-way trade in goods and services totalled $7.3 billion in 2009-10.
Hong Kong is our leading business base in East Asia, with more than 60,000 Australians living and working there.
Around 600 Australian companies are established in Hong Kong, mainly in the services sector. The Australian Chamber of Commerce is the second-largest business chamber in Hong Kong, and the largest Australian Chamber outside Australia.
More than 88,000 people of Hong Kong origin reside in Australia. Government-to-government relations have been friendly and cooperative over many years, and regular high-level visits have taken place. Hong Kong remains a valued partner in APEC, the WTO and other multilateral fora.
Mr Tighe is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He is currently First Assistant Secretary of the Trade and Economic Policy Division, a position he has held since March 2008. Mr Tighe has previously served overseas as Australian Ambassador to Greece, with earlier postings to Thailandand the Australian Delegation to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris.
Mr Tighe holds a Bachelor of Science degree with first class honours from the University of New South Wales. He will be accompanied by his wife Diane.
Cheers,
Ivan Chan
ub)alumni chapter hong kong