Australia to open full consulate in Phuket

[webfact]

Australia to open full consulate in Phuket
Alasdair Forbes

PHUKET: -- Australia is to open a full consulate in Phuket, Canberra announced today (May 12).

Details of when the consulate, staffed by Australian diplomats, will open, where it will be or how big it will be, have not yet been announced.

The announcement came as part of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade annual budget statement for 2015-16.

The statement said: “The Australian Government will commit A$98.3 million (B2.65 billion) to open five new overseas missions in consultation with host governments.

“In a major expansion of Australia’s overseas diplomatic network, new posts will be established in Doha, Qatar; Buka, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea; Makassar, Indonesia; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; and Phuket, Thailand.

“This is the single largest expansion of Australia’s diplomatic network in forty years.

“These new missions will advance trade and investment opportunities for Australia and provide Australians with a greater level of consular assistance when travelling and working overseas.”

The official budget paper states that the new consulate is part of “the measure Expanding Australia’s Diplomatic Footprint... A consulate in Phuket will help manage Australia’s significant consular load [in Thailand].”

A full consulate was long a cherished aim of former honorary consul Larry Cunningham, who lobbied long and hard for it, but was not to achieve a result before he retired from the post.

Mr Cunningham could not immediately be reached for comment but his successor as honorary consul, Canadian legal adviser Michelle Hawryluk, asked today what her role will be when the consulate opens in Phuket, told The Phuket News, “I have no idea. I’ll probably go back to being an ordinary citizen.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/australia-to-open-full-consulate-in-phuket-52291.php


-- Phuket News 2015-05-13

[chooka]

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

[Old Croc]

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

All Embassies and full Consulates have Australian staff.

They also have locally engaged staff (LES) to assist. These people typically do the lessor level of work required in an office environment such as counter work. The cost of bringing staff from Australia to perform basic office functions would be prohibitive. (Last I heard the cost was about a half million dollars per year)

Not holding my breath, but if it goes ahead it will be a much needed service on Phuket.

The current Honorary Consul has proven to be fairly inaccessible to Australians with questions about her functions.

A full consulate would free her up to continue her legal practise without distractions.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Old Croc

[simple1]

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

All Embassies and full Consulates have Australian staff.

They also have locally engaged staff (LES) to assist. These people typically do the lessor level of work required in an office environment such as counter work. The cost of bringing staff from Australia to perform basic office functions would be prohibitive. (Last I heard the cost was about a half million dollars per year)

Not holding my breath, but if it goes ahead it will be a much needed service on Phuket.

The current Honorary Consul has proven to be fairly inaccessible to Australians with questions about her functions.

A full consulate would free her up to continue her legal practise without distractions.

Polite response to an uninformed claim. I dealt directly with Australian nationals working in Embassy Consular Sections in KL & BKK when requiring an emergency travel document & eventual replacement for a passport stolen in Malaysia.

[fester the benevolent]

Staffed by Australian diplomats?

Australian diplomats you say?

[Fullstop]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

Rubbish. (as others have also stated) On the two occasions I've been to the Oz Embassy in BKK I've only dealt with Aussies ... except for the security guard on the gate and another one inside the building.

[Sparkles]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

Rubbish. (as others have also stated) On the two occasions I've been to the Oz Embassy in BKK I've only dealt with Aussies ... except for the security guard on the gate and another one inside the building.

You both wrong The last 2 trips, first served by a very pleasant Aussie guy who processed my needs and second trip to renew my passport served by a very officious Thai lady who rejected my professionally take photo.

"You're smiling in this photo" she stated,I wasn't ...no good. Returned after paying 300 baht to the shop she recommended with a photo that looked like I had been dead for 2 days..."ok now" she said.

So in that massive big building there's a mix of Thais and the occasional Aussie. The place is a huge white elephant that must cost a fortune to maintain for the Aussie tax payer.

A trip from CM makes it a very expensive passport ,pity they cant have an office in CM there's loads of Aussies living here.

[Fullstop]

I must have been hallucinating.

[Baerboxer]

How nice of them. Following on from the visit of Australian Foreign Minister Ms. Bishop, the Aussies announce this,

All from the only country to ban people connected with the Junta from visiting their sacred land.

Not knowing their arse from their elbow springs to mind! And I thought the European politicians were bad.

[chainarong]

They must be going to operate out of a tent then , 248 million slashed off the bill to Indon last night , probably as a result of Indon issue with the hangman , a 30% reduction in operating expenses for foreign affairs last year , causing Julie Bishop (Foreign Affairs Minister) with a now renowned bit of of eyebrow raising in Parliament at Treasurer Joe Hockey's budget cuts last year, when this consulate opens will be any body's guess, if anything this mob of spiffs are on the off load government employees, reducing services mentality, while telling business to employ more people, the path doesn't define opening new offices.

[Doc46]

Staffed by Australian diplomats?

Australian diplomats you say?

Good old Les,,,,,(Barry Humphries) 5555

[Old Croc]

They must be going to operate out of a tent then , 248 million slashed off the bill to Indon last night , probably as a result of Indon issue with the hangman , a 30% reduction in operating expenses for foreign affairs last year , causing Julie Bishop (Foreign Affairs Minister) with a now renowned bit of of eyebrow raising in Parliament at Treasurer Joe Hockey's budget cuts last year, when this consulate opens will be any body's guess, if anything this mob of spiffs are on the off load government employees, reducing services mentality, while telling business to employ more people, the path doesn't define opening new offices.

If you read the OP you'll see they've budgeted A$98.3 million to open 5 new posts.

Surprisingly perhaps, one of them is in Makassar, Indonesia! Why we need a post in Sulawasi is a bit of a mystery, but the main purpose of these places is to promote trade, not cater to whiny expats.

[keestha]

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

All Embassies and full Consulates have Australian staff.

They also have locally engaged staff (LES) to assist. These people typically do the lessor level of work required in an office environment such as counter work. The cost of bringing staff from Australia to perform basic office functions would be prohibitive. (Last I heard the cost was about a half million dollars per year)

LES can also be Australians hired locally, who are being paid a local salary. Mostly LES are poorly paid, not talking about Australian missions. specifically.

[Old Croc]

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

All Embassies and full Consulates have Australian staff.

They also have locally engaged staff (LES) to assist. These people typically do the lessor level of work required in an office environment such as counter work. The cost of bringing staff from Australia to perform basic office functions would be prohibitive. (Last I heard the cost was about a half million dollars per year)

LES can also be Australians hired locally, who are being paid a local salary. Mostly LES are poorly paid, not talking about Australian missions. specifically.

Yes, and spouses of posted officers will often be given priority for LES positions.

[mango66]

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

is it Kengaru ?

[Torrens54]

So they can afford all this expenditure BUT they have pulled the Financial Pin on Australian TV News and other programmes into Thailand.

In other words, they've CLOSED the shop front Window !

[chooka]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

Rubbish. (as others have also stated) On the two occasions I've been to the Oz Embassy in BKK I've only dealt with Aussies ... except for the security guard on the gate and another one inside the building.

I have been there on four occasions and never seen an Australian. The only people we have dealt with have been thais and not very friendly ones who look down on you. These people are representing Australia and not a single G'day just another bloody farang here to annoy us.

[chooka]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

Rubbish. (as others have also stated) On the two occasions I've been to the Oz Embassy in BKK I've only dealt with Aussies ... except for the security guard on the gate and another one inside the building.

You both wrong The last 2 trips, first served by a very pleasant Aussie guy who processed my needs and second trip to renew my passport served by a very officious Thai lady who rejected my professionally take photo.

"You're smiling in this photo" she stated,I wasn't ...no good. Returned after paying 300 baht to the shop she recommended with a photo that looked like I had been dead for 2 days..."ok now" she said.

So in that massive big building there's a mix of Thais and the occasional Aussie. The place is a huge white elephant that must cost a fortune to maintain for the Aussie tax payer.

A trip from CM makes it a very expensive passport ,pity they cant have an office in CM there's loads of Aussies living here.

9 years in Chiangmai and I have never bumped into another aussie, always thought I was the only one. Had the same problems with photos and was sent to the same shop to get more photos, we put the originals in the new bag and gave them to the Thai at the embassy and they said they were now acceptable. Steady stream of customers being sent for photos. It is just a scam between the shop and thai embassy staff. Edited May 13, 2015 by chooka

[Don Mega]

So they can afford all this expenditure BUT they have pulled the Financial Pin on Australian TV News and other programmes into Thailand.

In other words, they've CLOSED the shop front Window !

You can watch the ABC news on the Australia plus tv channel.

http://tv.australiaplus.com/

[seajae]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Staffed by Australian diplomats? That will be a first, they don't even have Australians working at the embassy, they are Thai. You need assistance or a visa to Australia then you have to deal with thais who don't even know what the capital of Australia is.

Rubbish. (as others have also stated) On the two occasions I've been to the Oz Embassy in BKK I've only dealt with Aussies ... except for the security guard on the gate and another one inside the building.

then you are doing well, every time I have been there I have had to deal with thais who are a pain in the arse. They refuse to do what embassy staff have told you they will do in emails, and caused major hassles for me. I got a huge apology from the aussie embassy staff when I lodged a complaint and they offered to do all the required work at no cost. I now carry copies of the emails from the embassy officials with me when I go but they still try to cause problems and it takes ages before I can get them to do what they are meant to. It would be very refreshing to actually deal with staff that know and understand english well and also the required help they are supposed to provide tp aussie citizens, not just what they think they should do.