[1] It is located on Commonwealth Avenue along with the High Commissions of New Zealand and Canada in the Canberra suburb of Yarralumla.

The appointment of a separate High Commissioner followed a series of changes in the relationships amongst the dominions and with the Crown, including the enactment of the Statute of Westminster 1931.

However, at the time it was built, Britain was recovering from the devastating economic burden of World War II and needed to restore its own bomb-ravaged cities.

The High Commissioner coordinates the political, commercial and public affairs activities of the British Government in Australia and is in daily contact with Australian Ministers and officials.

They also keep the British High Commissioner in touch with political, economic and other developments in the Australian States and Territories.