Embassy of Australia, Washington, D.C.

Embassy of Australia, Washington, D.C.
Embassy of Australia in 2023
Address	1601 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20036
Ambassador	Kevin Rudd
Website	http://usa.embassy.gov.au/

The Embassy of Australia in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the Commonwealth of Australia to the United States. The chancery is located at 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW on Scott Circle, at the beginning of Embassy Row. The current ambassador is former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the Deputy Head of Mission is Paul Myler. The embassy employs more than 250 people.

Australia and the US have had strong diplomatic relations for over a century. For many years Australia was represented in Washington, D.C. by trade ministers. The two countries formed official bilateral relations in 1940. The diplomatic mission in Washington D.C., Australia's second-oldest one overseas, included a legation that opened in 1940. The second location for the legation was a large house called White Oaks, located in Woodley Park, and has served as the ambassadorial residence since that time.

In 1946, the US upgraded both legations of Australia and the US from legations to embassies, with Robert Butler serving as the first Australian ambassador to the US. For approximately two decades, the embassy was located in the Wilkins House, currently the Embassy of Peru. After running out of office space, embassy officials announced plans to build a new embassy one block east of their current location. The new marble-clad modernist embassy made of glass, steel, and concrete, opened in 1969.

By the 2010s, the embassy needed serious repairs. The Australian government chose to demolish the embassy and build a new 213,600-square-foot (19,844 sq m) replacement with a projected price tag of A$236.9 million (US$154.7 million). After several years of planning and bureaucratic approvals, the new embassy opened in August 2023 at a total cost of $A337 million. It was designed by Bates Smart and Washington, D.C. local firm KCCT. The exterior is clad in copper alloy panels, and a large atrium is in the center of the building to provide natural lighting.