PHUKET: Australian tourists and expats in Phuket are to gain a consul general's office at long last after a change of heart in the Federal Government budget tonight.
A new Australian outpost on the popular Thai holiday resort island was one of five new diplomatic posts announced at a total cost of $98 million in Tuesday's Budget.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop - who made a lightning fast visit to Bangkok on Friday - described it as ''the single largest expansion of Australia's diplomatic network in 40 years''.
Together with Phuket, new posts are to be built in Buka in Papua New Guinea, Doha in Qatar, Makassar in Indonesia, and Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia.
The plan for a fulltime office for an Australian envoy went on-hold some years ago despite the number of Australian visitors rising to about 350,000 a year to the holiday island.
Larry Cunningham became the first Australian honorary consul to Phuket after the tsunami of 2004 and he retired after eight years to be replaced by Canadian lawyer Michelle Hawryluck.
Development of a detailed plan could take two years, with purchase of an appropriate property or construction extending the timetable by at least another year to three years, so Ms Hawryluck has some time yet in the honorary role.
It's also the case that, as in the past, one side of politics proposes a newly staffed consul-general's office and the other side of politics kills the idea when it achieves power.
Australians on Phuket shouldn't think that help with jet-ski scams and other problems will come automatically just yet.
Official Media Release
The Australian Government has announced it will boost its diplomatic network by opening a new Consulate-General in Phuket. It will service the growing number of Australian visitors to Phuket and Southern Thailand.
''Australia would like to establish this new Consulate-General quickly and we are pleased to be able to start working with Thailand on the process to set up the mission,'' said Australian Ambassador to Thailand, Paul Robilliard.
Ambassador Robilliard added ''the number of Australians visiting Phuket has doubled since 2007. The new Consulate-General will assist those Australians directly.''
Once opened, the Consulate-General in Phuket will assist Australian visitors by providing full consular, passport and notarial services.
Until the consulate opens, Ms Michelle Hawryluk remains Australia's honorary consul in Phuket with jurisdiction in the provinces of Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga and continues to provide consular assistance.
Honorary consuls are not able to perform notarial services, or accept or process passport applications.
Further information on consular services available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Smart Traveller website, www.smartraveller.gov.au.
A new Australian outpost on the popular Thai holiday resort island was one of five new diplomatic posts announced at a total cost of $98 million in Tuesday's Budget.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop - who made a lightning fast visit to Bangkok on Friday - described it as ''the single largest expansion of Australia's diplomatic network in 40 years''.
Together with Phuket, new posts are to be built in Buka in Papua New Guinea, Doha in Qatar, Makassar in Indonesia, and Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia.
The plan for a fulltime office for an Australian envoy went on-hold some years ago despite the number of Australian visitors rising to about 350,000 a year to the holiday island.
Larry Cunningham became the first Australian honorary consul to Phuket after the tsunami of 2004 and he retired after eight years to be replaced by Canadian lawyer Michelle Hawryluck.
Development of a detailed plan could take two years, with purchase of an appropriate property or construction extending the timetable by at least another year to three years, so Ms Hawryluck has some time yet in the honorary role.
It's also the case that, as in the past, one side of politics proposes a newly staffed consul-general's office and the other side of politics kills the idea when it achieves power.
Australians on Phuket shouldn't think that help with jet-ski scams and other problems will come automatically just yet.
Official Media Release
The Australian Government has announced it will boost its diplomatic network by opening a new Consulate-General in Phuket. It will service the growing number of Australian visitors to Phuket and Southern Thailand.
''Australia would like to establish this new Consulate-General quickly and we are pleased to be able to start working with Thailand on the process to set up the mission,'' said Australian Ambassador to Thailand, Paul Robilliard.
Ambassador Robilliard added ''the number of Australians visiting Phuket has doubled since 2007. The new Consulate-General will assist those Australians directly.''
Once opened, the Consulate-General in Phuket will assist Australian visitors by providing full consular, passport and notarial services.
Until the consulate opens, Ms Michelle Hawryluk remains Australia's honorary consul in Phuket with jurisdiction in the provinces of Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga and continues to provide consular assistance.
Honorary consuls are not able to perform notarial services, or accept or process passport applications.
Further information on consular services available on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Smart Traveller website, www.smartraveller.gov.au.
I never quite understand how a non citizen and presumably in this case Michelle Hawryluck has never lived in Australia can help Australians when they are stressed for various reasons like the chap who lost his Passport a week or so ago, the notorious young girl who said she was raped etc.
Posted by Too easy on May 12, 2015 17:53
Editor Comment:
Who said she has never lived in Australia? You do have a small-minded approach, Too easy. But then that's Australia's biggest problem these days, the small minds of some citizens.