Ms Frances Adamson, Deputy Australian High Commissioner to the UK
Frances Adamson is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She has been Deputy High Commissioner in London since July 2005, having served as Counsellor at the Australian High Commission from 1993 to 1997. She has had previous postings in Hong Kong and Taipei and did a brief stint at Australia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Ms Adamson briefed the Council on the way Australia sees itself – as a liberal democracy, with a dynamic economy and a multi-cultural population. She outlined recent developments in Australia’s relations with China, Japan, India, ASEAN, the United States and the European Union and emphasised the continuing closeness of Australia’s relations with the United Kingdom. She described the productive exchanges of policy ideas, regular ministerial visits, vibrant business interactions, cultural exchanges and strong people-to-people links between the two countries. Reflecting this, there was a lively question and answer session touching on a wide range of domestic, foreign policy and bilateral issues.