Australian Consulate-General, Shanghai

Australian Consul-General in Shanghai
Coat of Arms of Australia
Incumbent Graeme Meehan since 1 May 2015
Style	His Excellency
Appointer	Governor General of Australia
Inaugural holder	Edward S. Little (Trade Commissioner) Roger Brown (Consul-General)
Formation	26 February 1921 (Trade Commission) 2 July 1984 (Consulate-General)
Website	Australian Consulate-General Shanghai, China

The Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai represents the Commonwealth of Australia in Shanghai, the most populous city and a global financial centre in the People's Republic of China. The Consulate-General, one of many in Shanghai, has its offices in the CITIC Square building, 1168 Nanjing Road West.

The Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai reports to the Australian Embassy in Beijing, which reports to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra, Australia, a process in line with the majority of Australia's consulates around the world. Originally established as a Trade Commission in 1921, the consulate predates Australia's diplomatic presence in China by 20 years.

Originally established on 26 February 1921 with the appointment of Edward S. Little as Trade Commissioner of the Commonwealth Government in Shanghai, Little was the first Trade Commissioner ever appointed by the Australian Government, marking the beginning of the Australian Trade Commissioner Service first maintained by the Department of Trade and Customs. On his appointment it was noted by Prime Minister Billy Hughes that it was "the intention of the Federal Ministry at an early date to ask Parliament for authority to establish a service of trade commissioners which will be linked up with the Bureau of Commerce and Industry." Little toured the country before leaving for China in order to gauge the level of interest from Australian business circles in operating in China and noted that his posting would be the first direct representation of Australia in China: "They have been Represented in the post in Hongkong, but that is not really China."

However, on 26 July 1923, the Minister for Trade and Customs, Austin Chapman, announced that Little's posting was to be closed, with various concerns being raised about the expenses of maintaining the office in Shanghai. On the announcement The Age alleged that Little had abused his expenses as Trade Commissioner and noted that "It has now been decided to abolish the useless representation, from which producers and merchants in this country have derived no benefits whatever". The decision was met with significant outcry elsewhere however, particularly the Shanghai press, with Finance and Commerce lamenting that "The benefits of having a man on the spot to watch the trade interests of Australia should be obvious" and the North China Daily News decrying the decision as "regrettable and calculated to injure Australian prestige in the Far East." Little later published an article in The Bulletin noting what he saw as his wrongful dismissal and that the allegations surrounding his recall were completely unfounded.