Senior Official Plays Down Minister’s Comments on Britain’s Colonial Past

Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly (R) and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong walk through central London on their way to Australia House after holding a meeting at the Foreign Secretary's official residence at Carlton Gardens in London, on Feb. 1, 2023. Stefan Rousseau/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Penny Wong’s controversial comments on Britain’s colonial history have caused “no sense of discomfort or diplomatic tension,” a senior official within the Australian foreign minister’s department said.

In a Senate Estimates Committee hearing on Feb. 16, Jan Adams, the most senior official at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that while Wong’s comments in the context of modern Britain were “unexceptional,” it was not the mainstay of the discussions.