NSW Consular Corps Reception
Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Government House Sydney
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC
Bujari gamarruwa
Diyn Babana Gamarada Gadigal Ngura
I greet you in the language of the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we gather. I pay my respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging and acknowledge the enduring connection of First Nations people of New South Wales to Country, to culture and to community.
In welcoming everyone here this evening, I extend a particularly warm welcome to our new Consuls-General. Since May, when you hosted the annual dinner, 14 new Consuls-General and Honorary Consuls have joined us: - from Peru, Korea, Nepal, Serbia, Switzerland, Portugal, Türkiye, Poland, Timor-Leste, Argentina, Jamaica, Samoa, Panama and Japan – only the Consul-General of Samoa and the Honorary Consul of Jamaica are not able to attend. Thank you, too, to Consul-General Buhagiar, for your characteristic warmth and energy in your leadership of the Corps.
France claims that it was the first consulate in New South Wales, dating back to 1839 when King Louis-Philippe signed the necessary decree to establish the consulate, a politically agile move at the time as he believed that New South Wales would become the major political and commercial centre of the Pacific.
It may also have allayed local fears given that Britain, the Colony’s master, and France seemed to be perennially, if sporadically, at war. Although by the 1840s they had a thriving commercial relationship, and Lord Aberdeen had brokered an entente cordiale between the two countries, let’s just say that Britain remained its ‘nervous nelly’ self as France teetered towards another revolution - as it came to pass in 1848 - and undermined the entente.
I do have to say there is some contention as to whether France could truly lay claim to its premier consular status as the first United States Consul was appointed in 1836 but didn’t arrive until 1839. To add to the contention, the first French Consul didn’t arrive until 1842.
However, apart from a little diplomatic point scoring, the consular corps in Sydney has grown to be one of the largest in the world, and certainly the most collegiate. Indeed, tonight represents a microcosm of the United Nations as we celebrate your roles on the eve of United Nations Day..
The strong inter-consular relationship we have here in Sydney exemplifies what was intended by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which recognises that an international convention on consular relations, privileges and immunities would also contribute to the development of friendly relations among nations, irrespective of their differing constitutional and social systems.
The convention also addresses that the need for diplomatic immunity from parking fines in Woollahra, Bondi and North Sydney is not to benefit individuals but to ensure the efficient performance of functions by consular posts on behalf of their respective State. I jest of course about the parking fines, but the diplomatic immunity you are afforded speaks to the importance of your roles directly serving the countries you represent and your role in looking after your local communities here.
Tonight’s reception also comes at the end of the Royal Visit, the first of a reigning King, as we have farewelled King Charles III, King of Australia and head of the Commonwealth of Nations as he left these shores to lead the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting[1] (CHOGM) being held in Samoa. By my calculations, one quarter of the nations represented here tonight are represented at that meeting.
That Samoa is the host for this year’s meeting is significant. It is the first CHOGM to be held in a Pacific Small Island Developing State.[2] It is a recognition of the challenges, including climate change, that face Pacific nations and the importance of their voices in seeking the global answer to those challenges.
And, keeping with Commonwealth matters, in November, NSW will host another example of multilateralism in action - the 67th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference,[3] bringing together 700 delegates from 130 different legislatures to ‘share best practice, forge connections and continue to work together to uphold and further parliamentary democracy.’[4]
In Peter Ustinov’s cinematic satire on Cold War politics and diplomacy, Romanoff and Juliet, released in 1961, a diplomat was compared to “a head waiter who’s allowed to sit down occasionally.” So, to keep you all in character, tonight is a stand-up reception but with some very comfortable cane chairs on the Arcade to allow you to gaze out onto our beautiful harbour. And our head waiter, Marco, has not had time to sit down yet this evening.
Please now enjoy the hospitality of the House, the best of NSW produce, the international Collections of the House on display in the State Rooms, and the company of good friends.
[1] 21-26 October 2024: Theme: ‘One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth’.
[2] https://thecommonwealth.org/news/chogm-2024-samoa-accelerate-progress-across-commonwealth#
[3] 3-8 November 2024:
https://www.cpahq.org/67-cpc/cpc-programme/
[4] Theme: ‘Engage, Empower, Sustain: Charting the Course for Resilient Democracy’