Representing Australian interests in South America

The new Australian Ambassador to Chile, Tim Kane, has been tasked with overseeing key developments in policy and relations between Australia and South America. Although based in Chile, Ambassador Kane and the embassy’s 50 staff also represent Australia in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

One of the most important of these developments is the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and Chile, signed in 2009, and which will be in its implementation phase until 2015. 

 “As with any new agreement, we need to iron out some of the details, including ensuring it is being implemented correctly, and have conversations about improvements,” Ambassador Kane says.

“This agreement is very important for Australia, including because Chile is on track to become a developed country before the end of this decade.”

From 2013 Ambassador Kane and other Australian ambassadors will have a new and unique set of challenges as Australia takes its seat on the UN Security Council. 

“The roles of all Australian ambassadors around the world will be important but it will also be a matter of wait and see, because much will depend on what issues the Security Council will address during Australia’s term,” he says.

“Once our term on the Council begins, there will be active participation from all ambassadors as embassies begin explaining Australia’s position on certain issues, and ascertaining the position of host countries.”

Being able to oversee policy implementation and take part in high level negotiations are key to being an effective ambassador, but Ambassador Kane draws from wide-ranging skills to deal with other daily challenges, ranging from balancing operational budgets to helping staff settle into a new country.

He gained these skills through experience from previous postings around the world, professional training from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and his tertiary education, including qualifications from the University of Melbourne, Deakin University and the Australian National University. 

Learning to write was one of the most important skills he learned at the University of Melbourne and is something he encourages all students to develop. 

“Learning to communicate and especially to write well is very important. I was fortunate to have professors and teachers with very high standards,” he says.

He speaks Spanish which he says is a useful skill as, somewhat surprisingly, English is not as widespread in Chile as many would believe.

“I would recommend learning another language. I wouldn’t rule out applying to join the foreign service if I didn’t have a second, or third, language, but speaking another language can give you a distinct advantage.”

Ambassador Kane now holds one of Australia’s most senior positions in South America, but it was not an area of the world he ever imagined working in when he first became interested in foreign affairs at the age of 12.

“We had a family friend who worked in Foreign Affairs. I was fascinated by the descriptions and nature of the work and it appealed to me greatly. I liked the diversity and thought it was unique. So my mind was made up early. However, I never expected to be working in South America.

“After joining DFAT as a graduate, it looked like I would be heading to Europe or the Pacific for my first posting. But for various reasons, these did not eventuate and in 1992 I found myself heading to Santiago, Chile, to fill a new junior diplomatic position. I knew very little about Latin America and went expecting to find the stereotypical images that I guess I had obtained through movies. It couldn’t have been further from the truth,” he says.

Ambassador Kane went to Quito, Ecuador, for a few months to study Spanish and then commenced his three-year posting at the Australian Embassy in Santiago.

He has since completed postings in Mexico City and Washington, DC where he also happened to be during the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

In between overseas postings he is based in Canberra where he has worked for Australian Government departments, including on secondment to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet where he provided advice on issues ranging from the war in Iraq, to the UN and Europe.

He undertook one of the biggest challenges of his career while based in Canberra when he led a team working on the release of an Australian kidnapped in Somalia.

Ambassador Kane believes students who are attracted to international relations and would like to represent their county overseas should build good communication skills and be persistent. 

“It’s important to work hard, achieve good grades, and never give up,” he says.

www.arts.unimelb.edu.au