LATIKA M BOURKE: Countdown begins for ‘dud’ High Commissioner Stephen Smith’s London exit

Two titans of the Australian community in London have declared Stephen Smith a dud and the most disappointing High Commissioner to ever represent the country in the UK.

Advertising guru Bill Muirhead and globally renowned businessman Philip Aiken said that while Mr Smith’s successor, former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, would be warmly welcomed to London next year, he had a huge repair job on his hands because of the damage caused by Mr Smith.

Mr Smith, 69, a former defence and foreign minister and Labor MP for the federal seat of Perth, was one of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s handpicked ex-Labor elders to serve overseas.

Mr Muirhead, who served as South Australia’s longest-serving Agent-General to the UK, and Philip Aiken, whose many high-profile corporate jobs include President of BHP Petroleum and Chairman of Balfour Beatty, are widely regarded as doyens of the Australian expat community in London.

Their contact books include executives, diplomats, current and past world leaders, politicians and celebrities in both Australia and the UK, but also around the globe.

In a joint interview with The Nightly in London, the pair said that Mr Smith had been a “dud in the job” and alienated the huge and influential Australian diaspora.

Mr Muirhead, who has spent four decades observing Australian High Commissioners in action, said he had never seen anyone perform in the role so badly.

“I sat in Australia House as Agent-General for 14 years, so I got close to almost every High Commissioner,” he said.

“I left the job by the time he came, but having seen him in action, it was like he just cut everyone off – you felt amputated.

“It’s quite hard to make enemies of your friends, but he succeeded in doing that. It’s a shame, and it’s damaged the relationship with the Australian community.

Australia’s expat community in the UK is one of the largest. London is Australia’s largest offshore voting booth “by far,” according to the Electoral Commission. Around 18,000 Australians voted at the High Commission in the 2023 Voice referendum.

Mr Aiken, who has spent 25 years cultivating contacts in the UK-Australia network, said Mr Smith’s decision to cut off so many in the Australian expat community was wrong and out of step with the senior political figure he once knew.

“I knew him when he was in opposition, I dealt with him when he was foreign minister, when I was in my BHP role. I think he’s a pleasant enough guy, I just don’t think he had the right priorities and the right attitude for High Commissioner,” Mr Aiken said.

“He did not seem to believe that the Australian community in the UK was important and to the best of my knowledge, rarely attended events or socialised.”

Upon his arrival in London, Mr Smith outlined a list of his “strategic objectives” and declared a purge on “parties without purpose.”

As part of this decree, he closed Australia House’s doors to many local community groups that had previously been allowed to use the historic taxpayer-funded building on Strand.

This included refusing Legacy permission to hold their 100th anniversary dinner at the High Commission, and also access for groups that promoted the achievements of Australian women, and Australian classical musicians performing in London.

But it was his decision to deny the Australia Day Foundation permission to host their annual fundraising gala dinner, citing “sensitivities” around celebrating the national day that grabbed early headlines.

The event has previously attracted some of Australia’s biggest names, including singers Kylie Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Tina Arena, Natalie Imbruglia, Peter Andre, Tim Minchin, Philip Quast, boy band Human Nature and entertainers Barry Humphries, Clive James and naturalist David Attenborough.

The black-tie event, which is often likened to a British version of G’Day LA, also honours Australians and Britons who have contributed to the bilateral relationship and has showcased food cooked by Australian chefs, including Maggie Beer, Neil Perry and the Michelin-starred Brett Graham.

The event is sponsored by corporates and attracts movers and shakers in Westminster, including former prime minister Boris Johnson.

In the United States, Kevin Rudd, Mr Albanese’s other political appointee, held a black tie gala for Australia last year to promote Australian excellence to Washington DC’s movers and shakers.

Mr Aiken and Mr Muirhead are both founders of the Foundation that runs the Gala and for the first time since its inception, held their Australia Day gala at a private hotel instead of on Australia’s historic diplomatic premises.

Mr Smith’s approach was in stark contrast to his immediate predecessor George Brandis, who believed the High Commission should embrace and exploit London’s large expat community, and even defied UK council regulations to hold a Democracy Sausage fundraising barbecue for the Royal Flying Doctor’s Service in Australia on election day.

Events like these were also killed off under Mr Smith’s term. He will leave his role in December and return to Perth for Christmas, meaning he will fall short of serving out a full three-year term.

But his early departure will not be lamented.

“I have been back in London for a few weeks and have been surprised at how many people have commented that they are just waiting for the new High Commissioner to be appointed. Most people gave up on him some months ago,” Mr Aiken said.

In announcing his replacement on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese listed Mr Smith’s work on Ukraine as a key achievement.

“Stephen has done a remarkable job in representing Australia’s interests across the UK, across security and defence matters in particular, has taken a leading role in Australia’s work with the Coalition of the Willing that’s being convened by Prime Minister Starmer and President Macron,” Mr Albanese said.

Traditionally, both Labor and the Coalition fill the posts in Washington DC and London with political figures rather than career diplomats drawn from DFAT.

Mr Aiken backed Mr Albanese, choosing another political appointee and said he hoped that his second choice would do the job better.

“Having had our first ineffectual high commissioner in my time, I hope we now have coming forward someone who is more user-friendly and wants to get more involved with the community,” Mr Aiken said.

“The role of High Commissioner is very important and needs to be multi-focused, not just driven by ‘strategic priorities’. We need someone who is more accessible.”

Mr Muirhead said Mr Smith’s tenure would go down as a “sad little chapter” but that it would be easily reset by a competent successor.

Mr Muirhead nominated former Labor Senate President Doug McCelland as the best High Commissioner he had ever witnessed in the job, while Mr Aiken said former Coalition foreign minister Alexander Downer was the most capable in his time.

Mr Smith was believed to be Mr Albanese’s third choice for high commissioner. After its election in 2022, the Labor government struggled to fill the post for almost a year.

Mr Albanese served in Cabinet with Mr Smith during the Rudd-Gillard years when Mr Smith and former treasurer Wayne Swan headed a factional grouping called the Roosters.

They played a key role in toppling Kevin Rudd as prime minister. Mr Rudd kept Mr Smith in his Cabinet when he returned to the leadership but Mr Smith retired that same year in 2013, when Labor was booted from office over its ill-discipline.

But three years later Mr Smith tried to revive his political career with an attempt to topple Mark McGowan, saying the West Australian Labor leader was unelectable.

McGowan prevailed and not only won at the ballot box in 2017 but went on to all but eliminate his political opposition when re-elected premier in 2021, before retiring in 2023 at the height of his power.

Mr Rudd will continue his job as ambassador and will serve out a four-year term in Washington DC.

The High Commission in London has been contacted for comment.