Written responses to follow-up questions from the Asialink webinar
DATE? | Sue Boyd
Why I wrote the book
My intention in writing the book was to answer the many questions put to me by students of foreign relations about entry to, and the practical practice of, diplomacy.
What should I study? How do you get into DFAT? What do they look for in the selection process? What does an Embassy do? What is the meaning of the various titles used in the foreign service and in embassies? What is the difference between an Embassy and a High Commission? Do you need to have foreign languages? What other international employment opportunities exist apart from DFAT? What was it like being a woman? What is the situation regarding the employment of gay men and women? How do officers with spouses and or children manage? How are “tandem couples” managed for overseas postings? (ie a couple consisting of two DFAT officers).
In addition, I was very conscious of the changed and changing situation of the status of women in DFAT. The DFAT I joined in 1970 was very male dominated, with considerable cultural, social and professional barriers to the recruitment and advancement of women. Of the group of graduates recruited in 1970, of the 23 of us, only two were women. I was one of only four female officers posted as Heads of Mission when I went on my first HOM posting, to Bangladesh, in 1986. By the time I retired, in 2003, the situation was vastly improved. I am proud of my role in this change and wanted to sketch out and record the process and history. Currently 45% of Australian Heads of Mission are women. How did we get there? There is room for a more detailed and well documented study of this journey. This memoir is not the place.
The integration of Development Co-operation staff with mainstream DFAT
The integration of the former Ausaid staff into a much larger DFAT took place after my time. My experience was of specialist professional staff from AusAid (or its precursor agency) posted on attachment to the mission in which I served. In my experience, this was a satisfactory arrangement on the whole. The attached staff brought specialist skills in designing and delivering programs which were valuable and highly appreciated and were an effective means of advancing Australia’s interests in the host country. They complemented the work of the specialist political, economic and administrative personnel and other specialist attached staff within the mission. Other attached staff might often be from Defence, Trade, Education or Immigration, for example. They provided valuable avenues for the mission as a whole to understand the host country and its needs.
I think we have lost specialised skills in the integration of the several agencies. The Development Cooperation staff are reduced to the tasks of contracting private sector specialist companies to design programs, deliver them and evaluate them. Those for the amalgamation argue that a better professional career path has evolved for officers of the department, and there is clarity about the role of development cooperation in advancing Australia’s interests internationally. It is argued that there is greater budgetary flexibility in managing the DFAT portfolio under the new arrangement. I observe, with regret, that the proportion of GDP allocated by Australia for international aid programs continues to drop, while the allocation for defence rises.
The role of women in diplomacy
This is a huge field and I am delighted that it is attracting professional and academic attention. In my book I have written about my own experience and ways of managing, some of which I had to change, as the environment changed. I was not writing a handbook for women. I share my story, and other women and men can take from it what they find appropriate in their own situation I don’t think there is one “right way” – the situational approach has worked for me – you use your skills, attributes, resources and capacity for agency according to the needs of the situation and your objectives. In my experience, in the international environment in which I served, I found many advantages in being a woman and ways to overcome or mitigate any barriers. Whether it would have been the same in other countries with different cultures and policies about the role of women, it might have been different.
We all adapt to changing environments. Clothes, ornamentation and the way we present ourselves, in my view, need to be consonant with your objectives. What you wear to a nightclub and what you wear to the Embassy are, in my view different, and you need to be sensitive to the impact of the way you present yourself. I know women who take the attitude that what they wear is their business and should be no concern of their employer. In my view, the yardstick is “does this help me to meet my professional objectives.?” While in Bangladesh, I often wore the salwah kameeze, the local women’s dress of a long tunic and trousers. It was practical for the work I was doing and fitted with the local culture. Similarly in Fiji I often wore the local dress of a long tunic top over a long skirt, where appropriate.
I was never directed to wear certain clothes or jewellery, or to adopt a particular hairstyle. Mind you, my Bengali women friends in Dhaka did suggest that I should use more make-up and jewellery, so I looked more like a High Commissioner!! Maybe I should have taken their advice.
On advancing cultural diversity in Australia’s overseas representation.
This was one of the challenges faced by DFAT in fulfilling the government’s policies, and to my knowledge, also faced by New Zealand in their context. The life as a single operative in a foreign environment proved to be a particular challenge for Australians who had strong community support networks and obligations at home. Life in a foreign mission in a foreign country can be very lonely. In my time, tentative steps were being taken by DFAT to make it possible and I was very blessed to have as my friend Ronnie Ellis, a first nation pioneer woman from Western Australia. She was drawn from the WA Public service, where she was an arts administrator, and joined DFAT in order to encourage better understanding within the department of Australia’s wider and older culture and to promote that culture in our overseas soft diplomacy programs. She introduced successful programs within DFAT and was then posted to the Australian Mission to UNESCO and our Embassy in Paris, to promote cultural programs there. I am very pleased that DFAT has named a meeting room after Ronnie and established a perpetual scholarship to enable young first nation women to join DFAT.
After I retired from DFAT and was appointed to positions with traditional owner trusts at the Argyle Diamond Mine in the East Kimberley, I consulted Ronnie’s brother, the Noonga elder Noel Nannup and sought his advice on how best to carry out my responsibilities in this new (for me) cultural environment. His advice and guidance were invaluable. My debt to Ronnie grew.
On the contribution made by involvement in student activities at university
I have no doubt that my involvement in student politics made a major contribution to my success in joining DFAT. I developed leadership skills, project management skills, knowledge of political processes and the formation of public policy and business management skills. As well as political awareness and the practicality of policy development and delivery. This was over and above my academic studies in politics and education.
On the significance of a country’s political leadership in international relations
Given Australia’s position as a middle power in our region, but with important historical links to significant international players like the USA and the UK, the character and persona of our political leadership is important. It gives out signals to others, influences their attitude to us as a country and their confidence in us as a neighbour, friend and ally. Our leaders are of course elected, and their personal international clout is of little importance in our electoral processes. All politics is local. We hope that our leaders have international and cross cultural sensitivity, and are able truly to connect, on a personal and professional basis, with the leaders of other states. You would hope that skill in negotiating across Australia’s multi-ethnic community would help develop the skills needed to thrive and lead in our international contacts. And where these skills are lacking in our political leadership, you would hope that Australia’s foreign service’s advice and skillset would help.
Why was Vietnam my favourite posting?
It was the perfect time to be Ambassador in Vietnam, as I wrote in my book.
Vietnam was in the process of making great changes to its economy and international engagement and was looking for international partners. The US would have been desirable, but it was boycotting Vietnam at that time. And their reputation from the Vietnam War was still an issue. Australia on the other hand was there, was available, had a reputation of being fair and honest fighters and our businesses matched the scale of Vietnamese partners. The matches were being made across several industry sectors, and the Embassy could facilitate the contacts. We also provided an overall positive picture of Australia and our capabilities within the county. Within this framework, trade and cultural contacts could easily be made and supported.
I found Vietnam physically beautiful, its food was delicious, its culture and history were deeply interesting and its people were friendly, welcoming and helpful. There were no dissonances in our international objectives and foreign policies. I had a beautiful house to live in, with good domestic staff, and good members of the Vietnamese and Australian staff in the team I led, both in the Embassy in Hanoi and in the Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). And good and supportive friends in the Australian private sector community.
Sue Boyd was Australian Ambassador in Vietnam 1994-98, Consul General in Hong 98-99 and High Commissioner to Fiji and other South Pacific countries 1999-2003. Her book, “Not Always Diplomatic” was published in September 2020.