History of the Consulate

History of Indian diplomatic representation in Australia

The Consulate General of India was established in Sydney in 1941 as the Trade Commission of India.

The First Trade Commissioner was Mr. R.R. Saxena of the Imperial Customs Service and was appointed to this Post from the afternoon of January 30, 1941. He presented his papers to the Australian Governor General on March 7, 1941.

In 1948, Mr. G. Parameswaran Pillai became Independent India's first Trade Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand.

In April 1968, the name of the Trade Commission was changed to the Deputy High Commission of India.

In January 1973, the Deputy High Commission of India acquired its present name of Consulate General of India, Sydney.

Available records indicate that the Trade Commission was first housed at 39 Martin Place, Sydney. It was then relocated to ‘Caltex House’ in Kent Street, Sydney, from where it moved in the mid-1980s to Walker Street in North Sydney. From 1994 to 2010, the Consulate was located at 25 Bligh Street in Sydney, and later relocated to 190 George Street, before moving to its current address at Level 3, 109 Pitt Street in Sydney.

As per available records, the Heads of Post in Sydney have been as follows:

Trade Commissioner

Deputy High Commissioner

Consul General