Stephen Smith: Departing High Commissioner to the UK called a ‘dud in the job’, fires back at critics

Stephen Smith has hit back at criticisms that he has been a “dud in the job” as High Commissioner to the UK, saying his critics were past their use-by date.

Last month, two titans of the Australian-UK community, advertising guru Bill Muirhead (79) and businessman Philip Aiken (76), told The Nightly that Mr Smith had been a “dud in the job,” due to his treatment of the Australian diaspora in London.

But in an exit interview in his last hours in the job, Mr Smith (69) suggested his critics were yesterday’s men.

“People are entitled to their view, that’s the first point,” he said.

“I reject the notion that somehow I have alienated the Australian community.

“There are a range of Australian organisations which are here, some of them were much more robust, much more productive, much more important, back in the day.”

Mr Smith, a former foreign and defence minister, got offside with large swathes of the Australian community upon his arrival in London in 2023, when he adopted a policy of what he said was a purge of “parties without purpose” that he said failed to match his “strategic objectives.”

One early decision he took was to start charging philanthropic events commercial rates to use the taxpayer-funded Australian House for events, and making access all but impossible for small community organisations that promoted causes such as Australian women and Australian creatives.

This led to a high-profile falling out with the founders of the Australia Day Foundation — Mr Muirhead and Mr Aiken — who for two decades had put on an annual gala dinner, attracting global celebrities and London’s movers and shakers, including former UK prime minister Boris Johnson, Kylie Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia, Barry Humphries, 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 through Australia House’s doors.

At the time, Mr Smith said that “sensitivities” around celebrating Australia Day were a factor in his decision, sparking a political backlash at home.

In his interview, he expanded on his reasoning, saying that he did not feel that holding a gala dinner to mark Australia Day aligned with capitalising on the 2021 UK-Australia trade agreement, struck by former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Scott Morrison.

“The Australian group that I’ve worked most closely with here is the UK-Australian Chamber of Commerce. That deals with our economic interests, and it pursues our economic interests.

“People who criticise me because I don’t think it’s appropriate that we host gala dinners at Australia House, they’re entitled to their view, but Australia House is used to pursue our strategic objectives, our national economic interests and our security interests.

“There was a time when doing it here was appropriate but if people want to hold events here to remember the past, they can pay a commercial rate to pay for Australia House.”

He said that “honour had been restored all round” by the fact that he attended their event the year after, when it was held at a five-star hotel in London for a rate that exceeded the cost he had proposed to use Australia House.

He also denied that he had refused Legacy permission to hold their anniversary event at Australia House, saying the organisation had decided to use another venue.

However, Mr Aiken and Mr Muirhead are not the only Australians to have publicly criticised Mr Smith’s approach to the job.

One prominent Australian-British businessman said he worked with Australia House on investment ties for more than a decade but had never stepped foot in Australia House since Mr Smith arrived.

“Mr Smith likes to talk about his strategic objectives but all we experienced were wasted opportunities,” he told The Nightly.

Earlier this year, Richard Alston, former Liberal Senator and one of Mr Smith’s predecessors, accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s handpicked diplomat of “alienating every Australian in London.”

“Stephen Smith’s behaviour has not been in Australia’s best interests, simply indulging his own prejudices and alienating every Australian in London,” Mr Alston told The Australian.

“He clearly doesn’t enjoy the job and hates the socialising, effectively refuses to make the High Commission or the residence ­accessible for functions, despite them having been open to visiting Australians since time immemorial. It treats the residence as his private home, which it is not. It is an Australian hosting venue.”

Jay Weatherill, former Labor Premier for South Australia will take up the job in the New Year.