Bishop Mark Short of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn has been chosen as the new Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia. with majorities in the houses of Bishops, Clergy and Laity.
There were two candidates, Bishop Short and Matt Brain, the Bishop of Bendigo.
Bishop Short will begin in the role on 1 November 2025 following the resignation of Archbishop Geoffrey Smith as Primate on 31 October 2025.
He has been bishop of the Canberra and Goulburn diocese since 2019. He studied at Moore Theological College, in Sydney and was elected as Bishop of Canberra in 2019. Before that, he served as National Director of the Bush Church Aid Society from 2011.
He served in the parish of Temora, studied for a PhD at Durham University in the UK and then was Rector at two parishes Turvey Park and Tarcutta..Before becoming priest he had worked as an economist and a journalist.
Bishop Short is the first non-Metropolitan bishop to become Primate of Australia.
