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The Consul:
An insider account from Australia's diplomatic frontline
by Ian Kemish

What happens when things go wrong for Australians overseas?

A$32.99

(Trade paperback)

Available. Dispatched 2-3 business days

Overview

As head of Australia’s consular service, Ian Kemish played a central role in the nation’s response to some of the most dramatic events of the early twenty-first century, including the September 11 attacks and the Bali bombings. He led the small band of Australian consuls as they confronted the new challenges of global jihadism, supporting families who lost loved ones, and negotiated the release of Australians unjustly detained abroad.

In The Consul, Kemish offers a unique and personal perspective on Australia’s foreign affairs challenges of the last two decades, from hostage diplomacy to natural disasters and evacuations from war zones. This timely and engaging book also asks us to consider how world events have changed the way we travel now and in the future.

Foreword by Julie Bishop

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Peter Greste

‘We tend not to think about consular services – until we need them. Then we think about them a lot! The Consul is a remarkable insight into the utterly vital but largely hidden corner of the diplomatic service. Ian Kemish steers us through some of the most extraordinary and infamous cases in recent history, with the kind of depth and compassion that only a diplomat with his level of experience can bring.’

Ian Kemish

Ian Kemish AM is a former Australian diplomat who served as ambassador to Germany, high commissioner to Papua New Guinea, international adviser to the Prime Minister, and head of the consular and crisis management service. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of his leadership of the emergency response to the 2002 Bali bombings. An adjunct professor at the University of Queensland, he continues to work as a strategic advisor and as a volunteer director in the homelessness and international humanitarian sectors. Ian’s first book, The Consul (UQP, 2022), offered a personal perspective on Australia’s foreign affairs challenges over two decades − spanning hostage diplomacy, natural disasters and evacuations from war zones. Two Islands is his first work of fiction, drawing on both his diplomatic work in the Balkans in the mid-1990s and his strong family links with the western isles of Scotland.