McDonald appointed as Australian high commissioner to Fiji

Australia is looking to strength ties with Fiji for the benefit of both economies, act on climate change and the environment, deepen connections between populations, and enhance defence and security cooperation.

McDonald has headed the Office of the Pacific for the last four years and will seek to support Pacific priorities under the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent.

McDonald has previously coordinated government efforts to build stronger relationships with Pacific leaders, governments, people, regional organisation and institutions. He also served as Australian high commissioner to New Zealand with accreditation to Cook Islands and Niue, as well as in the role of deputy director general at AusAID and Deputy Secretary in the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace relations.

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.