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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

15th April 2011

Seeing Queensland “open for business” again, with Kevin Rudd

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd invited the diplomatic corps

to visit his home state of Queensland to see how well it is recovering from the

terrible January floods. I went with some 70 High Commissioners, Ambassadors and

other diplomats.

Having been up in Brisbane with William Hague shortly

after the floods, it was good to return three months on and see the city looking

fully back to normal. The world’s attention has subsequently moved on to other

natural disasters in Christchurch and Japan. But I’m sure we can all remember

the dramatic images on our TV scenes of floods covering an area the size of

France and Germany combined. Many Queenslanders had their lives disrupted, and

sadly for a small number who lost loved ones life will never be the same

again.

But

now the big focus is on getting back to business. Local officials, including the

impressive, straight talking disaster coordinator, General Mick Slater, briefed

us on how successfully key infrastructure like roads, rail and power, has been

restored. The emergency services and the vast volunteer army of helpers have

clearly done a fantastic job. Now the remarkable growth story of Queensland,

with its massive natural resources, agriculture and growing high tech clusters,

is set to resume. British companies like BG are major investors

there.

Queensland is also keen to get the international and

domestic tourists back. Some of its most popular destinations, like the Gold

Coast, were not even touched by the floods in the first place, and now there is

certainly no reason not to visit. I hope that our visit and the attendant media

coverage, has helped to get across the message that Queensland is very much

“open for business” again. I’m sure I’ll be heading back for a holiday in due

course.

About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.

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Kevin Rudd Politics queensland