Welcome to the Virtual Consulate Adelaide

The Virtual Consulate was launched on August 20, 2004 by U.S. Ambassador Tom Schieffer and Mrs Robyn Geraghty (representing the Premier of South Australia).

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Schieffer noted Adelaide’s sister city link to Austin, while underscoring the goals of the project: “We’re trying to bring the American people closer to South Australia; to have an interchange of ideas and make us more aware of each other’s cultures… We live in a time of enormous technological change in the world [and] what we want this to be is the use of change and technology in a very positive way to make people more comfortable with American foreign policy; to understand it better and to understand the American people better.”

Professor Don DeBats, Head of the American Studies Program at Flinders University, characterized both the occasion and the concept of launching a virtual consulate. He invited participants to “think of the Virtual Consulate first as a new door through which will arrive new opportunities in the form of people … and second as a dedicated electronic website or billboard announcing who those people will be and what opportunities they will carry with them.”

Melbourne Consul General David Hopper continued the people-to-people theme, identifying the role that Consulate General Melbourne has and will continue to have in Adelaide. “In launching Virtual Consulate Adelaide today, we also are launching a commitment to make regular official American visits to South Australia. We also will encourage U.S. government officials, members of Congress, speakers, artists and academics to include Adelaide on their itineraries when they visit Australia. Our goal is at least one such visit or event every month; sometimes we’ll do even better.”

South Australian-born astronaut, Andy Thomas, joined the launch by video link, adding, “In my view, the most important thing about the Adelaide Virtual Consulate is that it ultimately promises stronger interaction between peoples … The innovation of e-diplomacy will offer South Australians lots of information, but more importantly, the long standing ties between South Australia and America will likewise flourish with a program of visits and activities by people from the Embassy in Canberra, the Consulate in Melbourne, as well as a range of other visitors from the United States.”

Speaking on behalf of the Premier of South Australia, Member of Parliament Robyn Geraghty applauded the launch of the Virtual Consulate, calling it an “excellent initiative that will provide a vehicle for wide-ranging mutual benefits between South Australia and the United States.”

Members of the U.S. Mission to Australia and visitors from the United States will present regular monthly programs on a variety of topics to reinforce the ongoing U.S. commitment to the residents of South Australia.

More information

• Greeting by Andrew Thomas, NASA Astronaut

Last update Tuesday, 8 April 2008