Consul-General in Phuket

Today I announce the appointment of Ms Kirsten Fletcher as Australia’s Consul-General in Phuket.

Australia and Thailand share a longstanding relationship based on trade and investment links and close people-to-people connections. As strategic partners, we collaborate across a wide range of areas, including defence, law enforcement, education and the green economy.

Thailand is Australia’s eleventh largest trading partner with two-way trade valued at approximately $30.8 billion in 2022-23. Currently, there are 21,000 Thai students in Australia, making Thailand our seventh largest source of international students.

The Consulate-General in Phuket was officially opened in August 2017, reflecting the strength of the bilateral relationship and the number of Australians travelling to, and residing in, Phuket.

Ms Fletcher is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, most recently in the Consular Emergency Centre, and has previously served overseas in Bangkok.

I thank former Consul-General Matt Barclay for his contributions to consular services and advancing Australia’s interests in Phuket since 2019.