List of ambassadors of Australia to Laos explained

Post:	Ambassador of Australia to Laos
Insignia:	Coat of Arms of Australia.svg
Insigniasize:	120px
Department:	Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Reports To:	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Incumbent:	Paul Kelly
Residence:	Vientiane
Nominator:	Prime Minister of Australia
Style:	His Excellency
Appointer:	Governor General of Australia
Formation:	1963
Inaugural:	Arthur Morris

The Ambassador of Australia to Laos is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Australia to the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The Ambassador resides in Vientiane. The Australian Government first announced it would open an embassy in Vientiane in 1962. The current ambassador, since February 2021, is Paul Kelly.

List of heads of mission

Ordinal	Officeholder	Title	Term start date	Term end date	Time in office	Notes
		Minister to Laos			years	^[1]
					years
		Minister to Laos			years	^[2]
	Arthur Morris				years		^[3] ^[4]
Ambassador of Australia to Laos
					years	^[5]
					years
					years
		A. H. Borthwick			years
		J. A. Forsythe			years
		Bruce Woodberry			years	^[6]
		Philip Peters			years	^[7]
		J. B. Campbell			years
		P. A. Jackson			years
		M. D. Mann			years
					years
		Karina Campbell			years	^[8]
		Michael Jonathan Thwaites			years	^[9]
		Alistair Charles Maclean			years	^[10]
		Michele Forster			years	^[11]
					years	^[12]
		John Williams			years	^[13]
		Jean-Bernard Carrasco			years	^[14]
		Paul Kelly	align=center		align=center	incumbent	align=right		^[15] ^[16]

Notes and References

1. News: Diplomat for Vietnam post. 2 December 1954. 1. The Argus. Melbourne, Victoria.
2. Chad Mitcham, ‘Forsyth, William Douglass (Bill)’, Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/forsyth-william-douglass-bill-27737, published online 2018; News: The Canberra Times. 2. 2 July 1959. Ambassador to Vietnam appointed. The Government has raised the Australian Legation in Vietnam to the status of an Embassy and has appointed Mr. W. D. Forsyth as Australia's first Ambassador in Saigon..
3. News: Minister for East. 31 December 1960. The Canberra Times. ACT. 3.
4. News: Mr Arthur Malcolm Morris. The Canberra Times. ACT. 2. 18 January 1963.
5. News: Appointment for Laos. 20 June 1964. 7. The Canberra Times. ACT.
6. News: Ambassador. 2 September 1978. 3. The Canberra Times.
7. News: Laos post. 2 June 1981. 3. The Canberra Times.
8. Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Laos. 12 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140212031337/http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/1997/fa57_97.html. 18 June 1997. Alexander. Downer. Alexander Downer. Australian Government.
9. Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Laos. 12 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140212023328/http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2000/fa076_2000.html. 5 July 2000. Alexander. Downer. Alexander Downer. Australian Government.
10. Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Laos. 12 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140212013501/http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2004/fa087_04.html. 21 June 2004. Alexander. Downer. Alexander Downer. Australian Government.
11. Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Laos. 11 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150411184831/http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2007/fa067_07.html. 18 June 2007. Alexander. Downer. Alexander Downer. Australian Government.
12. Diplomatic Appointment – Ambassador to Laos. 25 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150425035134/http://foreignminister.gov.au/releases/Pages/2010/kr_mr_101222.aspx?ministerid=2. 22 December 2010. Kevin. Rudd. Kevin Rudd. Australian Government.
13. Ambassador to Laos. https://web.archive.org/web/20150320042227/http://foreignminister.gov.au/releases/Pages/2013/jb_mr_131105.aspx?ministerid=4. 20 March 2015. 5 November 2013. Julie. Bishop. Julie Bishop. Australian Government.
14. Web site: Alex Gallacher: Australian Ambassador inquiry (Question No. 1209) . Payne, Marise . Marise Payne . . . 2019 . 15 November 2022 .
15. Web site: 2020-12-16 . Ambassador to Lao PDR . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210127020231/https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/ambassador-lao-pdr . 2021-01-27 . 2021-03-09.
16. Web site: Austcham Lao PDR . . 5 February 2021 . 8 December 2022.