Australia Appoints New High Commissioner to Sri Lanka

Duckworth is a senior career officer within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). His most recent role was Assistant Secretary of the United States Trade Taskforce and Deputy Chief Negotiator for the Australia–EU Free Trade Agreement  . He has also served in diplomatic postings in Indonesia and Cambodia.

Australia and Sri Lanka continue to collaborate on a range of regionally and globally significant issues, including transnational crime, maritime security, and combating people-smuggling. The two nations also benefit from strong people-to-people connections: Australia is home to more than 160,000 people of Sri Lankan heritage, contributing to the vibrant multicultural fabric of Australian society  .