Honorary Consuls from Australia, New Zealand and Samoa gathered in Brisbane for their annual conference and briefing on latest developments in our consular policy. I gave them an update on the current state of bilateral relations.
These are local residents in cities where we do not have a consular office, who volunteer to help support British citizens encountering difficulties. In vast, continent-sized Australia we have five: James Bruce (Adelaide); John McIntyre (Cairns); Jeanette Anictomatis (Darwin); Peter Saville (Alice Springs) – who were all at the Conference – and Michael Johns (Hobart). They are a combination of Australians and Brits with long experience of living here.
Between them they have a range of day jobs, with professional careers in business, science and local government. But they all find time to help Brits with problems ranging from lost passports to crime, accidents and natural disasters. They described some harrowing cases and talked about how rewarding it can be to help people in genuine need.
Consular managers from Singapore and London outlined some of the new developments underway, such as delivering more services online, leaving front line consular officers and honorary consuls with more time to deal with the most vulnerable customers.
As High Commissioner, I also find the Hon Cons (as we call them) an invaluable resource for our wider work because of their extensive local networks in the various cities. I use them to keep abreast of local developments and to advise on appropriate calls when I visit their cities. It was good to see them all again and to have the chance to thank them for everything they do for British citizens in Australia.