Lachlan Strahan

Lachlan Strahan was an Australian diplomat for 30 years, serving in Germany, Korea, India (as deputy High Commissioner), Switzerland (as acting UN Permanent Representative) and Solomon Islands (as High Commissioner until January 2023). He has a PhD in History. His first book, Australia’s China, has become one of the standard works on Australia–China relations. His second, Day of Reckoning, traces a series of crimes in Papua New Guinea after World War II and was shortlisted for the 2006 NSW Premier’s Australian History Prize. His most recent book, Justice in Kelly Country (2023), explores the life of his great-great grandfather, a cop who patrolled the colonial frontier for 32 years and pursued criminals big and small, including Ned Kelly. It was shortlisted for the 2023 Prime Minister’s Australian history prize. Prior to joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Lachlan taught Chinese and Russian politics and history at several universities in Melbourne.

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