The Embassy of Australia in Chile is the diplomatic and consular mission of Australia for Chile and Ecuador. The Embassy works to strengthen bilateral relations and to expand cooperation with Chile and Ecuador. Represented at the Embassy are the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade).
Ambassador Todd Mercer
Mr. Mercer is a senior career civil servant in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He previously served overseas as Australia's High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam and as Deputy Head of Mission for the Australian Embassies in Chile and Mexico.
Mr. Mercer holds a Master of Arts degree in International Studies from the University of Sydney; a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Sydney; and a Graduate Diploma of Arts from Monash University.
Welcome Message
Welcome to the website of the Australian Embassy accredited to Chile and Ecuador!
Having been posted to the Australian Embassy in Santiago previously between 2003 and 2006, it is a pleasure to return after 14 years. I am impressed to see how much the relationship between our countries has grown in that time. However, I know there is potential for even greater growth. Australia is a committed partner to Latin America and we want to continue that commitment to collaboration. In addition, we are pleased to see a growth in people-to-people relations between Australia and Latin America, in particular an increase in the number of tourists in both directions, and an increasing number of exchanges for business or study purposes. We want to continue to work to support these important human links.
Through this page, you will be able to learn about developments in cooperation between Australia and partner countries. In addition, you will find links and information about Australian developments, cultural activities, information for Australian citizens and of course about visas and immigration to Australia. In parallel, I invite you to follow our page on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to receive important news and interesting facts.
Australia's engagement with partner countries covers a broad spectrum.
With Chile, our relationship has a strong foundation with the successful Chile-Australia Economic Leadership Forums held in Santiago in 2014 and Melbourne in 2016, the comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with Chile since 2009, our joint participation in APEC and as a Partner State in the Pacific Alliance, a large amount of two-way investment, the presence in Chile of more than 200 Australian companies representing a variety of sectors and a growing number of direct flights between Chile and Australia. We already cooperate in a deep and collaborative way in mining, education, science and research; and we want to further develop relations in other sectors such as infrastructure, health, tourism, viticulture, water resources, agriculture, defense and Antarctica.
In the case of Ecuador, it is evident that relations are getting stronger every day. We have Memoranda of Understanding on Air Services and on Mining, the new Work & Holiday visa, and around 500 Ecuadorians studying in Australia.
We hope to continue to strengthen the bridges and strengthen these ties with Chile and Ecuador. The future looks very promising.
Thank you for visiting our website.
Ambassador Todd Mercer