UK in Australia

British High Commission Canberra

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25th March 2013

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Anglo/Australian play about the 7/7 London bombings

“Thursday” is a new play based on Gill Hicks, the Adelaide-born lady who lost both legs in the London tube bombings, and who has been such an inspiration with her bravery and dignity. It was with mixed feelings that I went along to the Canberra theatre to see this fascinating collaboration between the English Touring […]

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19th March 2013

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

High tech British industry behind the F1 pizzazz

I’m definitely not a “petrolhead”, but I am fascinated by all the razzmatazz that goes on around Melbourne’s iconic Grand Prix, bringing together the celebs, the politicians and the business suits. But the aspect which interests me most of all, is the extraordinary research-intensive industry that lies behind the world of F1, much of it […]

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5th March 2013

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Chatham House Rules Ok

I often host or attend events where we begin by saying that the discussion is based on “Chatham House Rules”, ie any comments made cannot be attributed to individuals outside of the meeting. So it was a great pleasure to host a visit by Lord Williams, the leading Asia scholar from Chatham House (London’s Royal […]

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3rd March 2013

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Avalon: From Excalibur to Aerospace Defence Sales

Avalon is not just the title of a 1980s Roxy Music album. It’s also an airport in Melbourne which hosts an important aerospace and defence show every two years. That’s quite fitting really as, in Arthurian legend, Avalon is the mythical place where King Arthur’s sword Excalibur was forged, so the name has a longstanding […]

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25th February 2013

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

1 million Australian tourists spend £1bn a year in Britain

London in February is a bit on the chilly side. But London is great to visit at any time of year. That’s why over one million Australians visit Britain every year, spending £1 billion. This amount has doubled over the past decade. A significant number are travelling to visit friends and relatives, but others are […]

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29th January 2013

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Magnificent Murray in Melbourne

A thrilling Australia Day weekend in Melbourne at the Australian Open tennis finals. We watched Andy Murray beat Federer in an epic semi-final. Then on Sunday we held our breath while he put up a magnificent battle against Djokovic in the final. In terms of skill the two players were evenly matched and, since his […]

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22nd January 2013

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Foreign and Defence Secretaries attend high level AUKMIN meeting in Perth

Foreign Secretary William Hague, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond and a team of senior officials and military were in Perth for the annual Australia-UK Ministerial meeting, AUKMIN, last week. They had wide-ranging discussions, including Asia, Indian Ocean and Defence reform, as well as talking about the UN Security Council, which Australia has just joined for the […]

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9th January 2013

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

New Year in Sydney… and bushfires

Once again we spent New Year’s Eve watching the spectacular fireworks in Sydney Harbour, from the 16th floor office of our Sydney Consulate General. The city was packed with revellers. I was very impressed with how easy it was to get back afterwards, as public transport was running late into the night and free of […]

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18th December 2012

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Frankincense, Myrrh and Gold Rushes… and their modern equivalents

In this season of frankincense and myrrh I have just been reading a really interesting book by David Hill The Gold Rush about Australia’s gold rushes in the second half of the 19th century.  On my travels around Australia I have seen some of the physical legacy of the industry in splendid gold mining towns like Ballarat and […]

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10th December 2012

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by Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

New Australian High Commissioner in London

Mike Rann, former Premier of South Australia, has just arrived in London as Australia’s new High Commissioner. For ambassadors, your counterpart in your home country is an important partner and ally. Luckily I had got to know Mike during my regular visits to Adelaide, and before he set off for the UK I hosted a […]

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About UK in Australia

We develop and sustain the important and longstanding relationship between the UK and Australia. We work on a wide range of political, commercial, security, defence, and economic matters of interest…

We develop and sustain the important and longstanding relationship between the UK and Australia. We work on a wide range of political, commercial, security, defence, and economic matters of interest to the UK and Australia and provide consular support to the many Britons visiting and living in Australia.

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