Events - Australian High Commission

Australian High Commission

Trinidad and Tobago

High Commission address: 18 Herbert Street, St Clair, PORT OF SPAIN - Telephone: 822 5450 - Fax: 822 5490

Regional Consular Workshop – St Kitts & Nevis

The Australian High Commission hosted a Regional Consular Workshop in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis on 3-4 May 2011. The four recently appointed Honorary Consuls who participated: Mrs Caroline Moncur (Bahamas); Mr Clarvis Joseph (Antigua and Barbuda); Mr Nigel John (Grenada) and Mr Dominic O'Sullivan (Guyana) acquired a sound knowledge and understanding of their role in delivering consular services on behalf of the Australian government including the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, the Consular Services Charter, the Consular Handbook, the Australian Privacy Act, Case Management, Consular Reporting, Arrest and Detention, Hospitalisation, Welfare and Whereabouts and broader Australian interests in the region.

During the Workshop, the Honorary Consuls were delighted to meet the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, The Honourable Kevin Rudd MP who was attending the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) 14th Meeting of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis.

The Hon Kevin Rudd, Australian Foreign Minister, with Australia's Honorary Consuls to the region, L-R: Clarvis Joseph, Caroline Moncur, Nigel John and Dominic O'Sullivan. Photographer - Winston Johnson

Anzac Day 2011

A dawn service was held on Monday 25 April 2011, at the Chaguaramas Military Museum, Port of Spain, to commemorate Anzac Day. The service was hosted by the Australian High Commissioner and the British High Commissioner on behalf of New Zealand. Colonel Anthony Phillips-Spencer, Commanding Officer of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment represented the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force and offered a prayer to commemorate the event. A number of Australian and New Zealand nationals living and working in Trinidad attended the service and the traditional Caribbean breakfast that followed.

Australia Day 2011

On the evening of 26 January 2011, the Australian High Commissioner, Mr Philip Kentwell, hosted an Australia Day reception at the official residence. During his speech, the Foreign Minister of Trinidad and Tobago highlighted the warm and long-standing relationship between Australia and Trinidad and Tobago traditionally based on our Commonwealth ties.

Mr Kentwell recognised his role as not only High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago but also either Ambassador or High Commissioner to the other thirteen countries that comprise the Caribbean Community, as well as being Australia’s Plenipotentiary Representative to CARICOM itself.

Mr Kentwell highlighted activites undertaken between Australia and the Caribbean over the past year. He noted Australia’s relations with the Caribbean region continue to strengthen year by year.

"At the end of 2010, we announced Australia Development Awards for 21 CARICOM citizens. Australia Development Awards are fully funded post graduate scholarships providing airfares, tuition and living expenses for study at Australian universities. The Australian Government will be offering 110 Australia Development Awards in the Caribbean over a four year period.

We also sponsored diplomatic training in Australia for two tranches (one at junior level, and one at mid-seniority level) for CARICOM foreign ministry officials. I am pleased to say that the five week mid-level training was a collaborative effort between the Australian National University in Canberra, and the Institute of International Relations at the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies. That training involved exposure to lectures and delivery in both Trinidad and in Canberra. A number of the contributing speakers at that training event are with us tonight, and I thank them for their contributions.

We also provided training opportunities in trade policy formulation and negotiation to officials from CARICOM member states, along with a range of other activities centred around climate change and disaster risk reduction as part of Australia’s $60 million development cooperation partnership with CARICOM. We are also exploring with CARICOM members ways to support building economic resilience as well as devising sports for development programs at community level.

I should note that for Australia, and Trinidad and Tobago 2010 was also significant because it represented the highest value two-way trade in merchandise between our two countries in any calendar year ever. A remarkable feat when measured against the world-wide trend following the global financial crisis.

And, of course, while not defined as merchandise trade, the Australian companies BHP-Billiton and WorleyParsons remain active in Trinidad and Tobago’s energy sector."

The reception was attended by Government officials, members of the diplomatic community in Port of Spain and represntatives of valued partners of the work undertaken at the Australian High Commission.