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The Commonwealth of Australia is a federation of six states and two self-governing territories. The national government is the Australian Government, also referred to as the federal government or Commonwealth government. The constitution gives certain powers to the federal government, some powers are shared with the states and territories, while other powers remain with the states and territories.

All diplomatic missions in Australia are located in Canberra, the national capital and seat of the federal government. Diplomatic missions cannot have 'branches' outside Canberra; their accredited staff must reside in Canberra. Diplomatic staff may perform consular functions throughout Australia, regardless of the existence of any consular post or its jurisdiction.

All home-based staff must be formally nominated and accepted by the Australian Government before travelling to Australia to take up their appointments. This is done through the request for and grant of visas. For diplomatic and consular officials, visas must be formally requested by the sending state's foreign ministry; for staff of international organisations, visa requests must be made by the organisation's headquarters.