Sir Percy Spender KCVO KBE QC

Sir Percy Spender KCVO KBE QC.

Sir Percy Spender was an Australian politician, diplomat and judge. He served as the Australian Minister for External Affairs from 1949 to 1951 and was the first official state visitor to Indonesia during his time as Minister.

Mr Spender had an influential role in shaping Australia's post-World War Two diplomacy. In addition to helping to create the ANZUS alliance, Spender is credited with launching the Colombo Plan, which enabled students from Indonesia to visit Australia for study and training.

The Colombo Plan strengthened Australia’s relationships in Asia and the Pacific and promoted partnerships for mutual social and economic development in the post-war period. In addition to delivering many development benefits for a number of countries, it helped lay the foundation for many strong links between Australians and students from our immediate neighbourhood.