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Frances Adamson

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Her Excellency The Honourable
Frances Adamson
AC
Adamson in 2011
36th Governor of South Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 October 2021
MonarchsElizabeth II
Charles III
PremierSteven Marshall
Peter Malinauskas
Lieutenant GovernorBrenda Wilson
James Muecke
Preceded byHieu Van Le
Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
In office
22 July 2016 – 25 June 2021
Foreign MinisterJulie Bishop
Marise Payne
Preceded byPeter Varghese
Succeeded byKathryn Campbell
Australian Ambassador to China
In office
August 2011 – February 2016
Prime MinisterJulia Gillard
Kevin Rudd
Tony Abbott
Malcolm Turnbull
Foreign MinisterKevin Rudd
Bob Carr
Julie Bishop
Preceded byGeoff Raby
Succeeded byJan Adams
Personal details
Born
Frances Jennifer Adamson

(1961-04-20) 20 April 1961 (age 63)
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
SpouseRod Bunten
Relations
Children4
Parents
EducationWalford Anglican School for Girls
Alma materUniversity of Adelaide (BEc)
Occupation
Signature

Frances Jennifer Adamson AC (born 20 April 1961) is an Australian public servant and diplomat who is the 36th Governor of South Australia, in office since 7 October 2021. She previously served as Australian Ambassador to China from 2011 to 2015 and as secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2016 to 2021.

Early life and education

Adamson was born in Adelaide, South Australia, the daughter of former politician Jennifer Cashmore and prominent Adelaide businessman Ian Adamson, and step-daughter of reporter Stewart Cockburn.[1] Her sister, Christine Adamson is a New South Wales Supreme Court judge.

Adamson was educated at the Walford Anglican School for Girls and the University of Adelaide, where she received a Bachelor of Economics. In 1984 she was the first female captain of the Adelaide University Boat Club.[2]

Career

Diplomatic career

Adamson joined the Australian Public Service in 1985.[3] She was an economist at the Australian Consulate-General in Hong Kong from 1987 to 1991, before moving to London where she worked at the Australian High Commission to the United Kingdom as a political counsellor for five years.[3] She returned to Australia to work for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra from 1998 until 2000, and then moved to Taipei where she was Representative to the Australian Commerce and Industry Office for five years.[3] She returned to London as Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2005 until 2008.[4]

While in London, Adamson met Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, who asked her to become his Chief of Staff.[5] She took the role on condition that she could manage her young family, and that as a "career diplomat" she would not get involved in politics.[3] When Smith moved to the Defence portfolio, she went with him.[3]

Between 2011 and 2015, Adamson held the post of Australian Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, the first woman in the position.[6][7][8][9] During her time there, the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement was negotiated and she has been credited with pushing the idea of partnership with the newly appointed Xi Jinping, allowing the "political and diplomatic relationships" between the two countries to "finally" catch up with the economic one.[3]

In 2015, Adamson was appointed a foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.[10][11]

On 20 July 2016, she was appointed Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT); the first female Secretary to be appointed to the portfolio.[12][13][14][15]

Criticisms of China

In closing her diplomatic career, Adamson was highly critical of China. In her final address, as Secretary DFAT, at the National Press Club, on 23 June 2021, Adamson warned of Chinese "insecurity and power" and advised that Australia "needs to know what it is we’re dealing with". Adamson commented that Beijing was driven by the “volatile combination” of power and insecurity and there was no chance of its outlook changing in the short-term as it suffered from a “siege mentality”. Adamson’s criticisms had been reported throughout the preceding 12 months by the media including her accusations of China seeking to “stoke ethnic divisions in Australia”.[16][17][18][19]

President of the ACT Division of the Institute of Public Administration

Adamson served as president of the ACT Division of the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) from 2017 to 2019 and outlined her views on public service in her final speech as president.[20] She was made a National Fellow of IPAA in 2019.[21]

On Wednesday 26 September 2018, IPAA ACT hosted a Secretary Address by Kathryn Campbell, then Secretary of the Department of Social Services, formerly Secretary of the Department of Human Services, and responsible for Robodebt. The event was chaired by Adamson, then Secretary of the DFAT and IPAA ACT President., In her closing chair remarks, Adamson congratulated Campbell and praised her performance as a Secretary including over Robodebt. The IPAA event was held after the completion of the Commonwealth Ombudsman Investigation into Robodebt in April 2017 and the subsequent First Senate committee inquiry which began in March 2017.[22][23][24][25][26]

Governor of South Australia

On 19 May 2021, it was announced by Premier Steven Marshall that Adamson would be succeeding Hieu Van Le as Governor of South Australia in October 2021.[27] Following her nomination for Governor of South Australia, Adamson retired from the public service in June 2021.[27] Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Adamson was one of "Australia's most accomplished and respected public servants and diplomats" and Marshall said her "wealth of knowledge on the international stage will put South Australia in good stead as we continue to put South Australia on the global map."[27]

Adamson was sworn in as Governor of South Australia in a formal ceremony at Government House, Adelaide on 7 October 2021.[28]

Awards and honours

Viceregal styles of
Frances Adamson
(2021–present)
Reference styleHer Excellency the Honourable
Spoken styleYour Excellency

In the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours Adamson was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for "eminent service to public administration through the advancement of Australia's diplomatic, trade and cultural interests, particularly with the People's Republic of China and the Indo-Pacific region, to innovative foreign policy development and high level program delivery, and as the 36th Governor appointed in South Australia."[29]

Personal life

Adamson met and married Rod Bunten, a British diplomat, when they were both posted in Hong Kong.[3] They have four children.[30]

References

  1. ^ a b Walker, Tony (22 January 2016). "PM's foreign affairs adviser Frances Adamson is a 'hard-headed realist'". Australian Financial Review. Fairfax Media.
  2. ^ Historical overview of the Adelaide University Boat Club, archived from the original on 26 February 2016
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Tingle, Laura (25 September 2016). "How Frances Adamson became DFAT's first female head". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  4. ^ Business Lunch with HE Ms Frances Adamson, Australian Ambassador to the People's Republic of China (Melbourne), University of Melbourne, 3 July 2014, archived from the original on 7 April 2015
  5. ^ Sheridan, Greg (28 November 2015). "Sound hands at the tiller: Malcolm Turnbull's picks astute picks". The Australian. News Corp Australia.
  6. ^ Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. "Ambassador to China". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014.
  7. ^ "Australian Ambassador to China". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015.
  8. ^ McDonald, Hamish (21 March 2011). "Beijing envoy appointed". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014.
  9. ^ Beneba Clarke, Maxine (7 November 2015), "Meeting Frances Adamson, Australia's first lady in China", The Saturday Paper
  10. ^ "Malcolm Turnbull overhauls the network of advisers at the highest level of government". Australian Financial Review. Fairfax Media. 6 November 2015. Former Beijing ambassador Frances Adamson will provide foreign policy advice.
  11. ^ McDonald, Hamish (23 January 2016). "Turnbull's change of tone in foreign affairs". The Saturday Paper. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016.
  12. ^ Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2016), Biography of Ms Frances Adamson, Australian Government, archived from the original on 17 August 2016
  13. ^ Doran, Matthew (20 July 2016). "Frances Adamson appointed as DFAT's first female secretary". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016.
  14. ^ Mannheim, Markus (20 July 2016). "Frances Adamson becomes Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's first female secretary". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016.
  15. ^ Turnbull, Malcolm (20 July 2016). "Ms Frances Adamson appointed Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  16. ^ News.com, 23 June 2021, https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/dfat-secretary-frances-adamson-warns-of-chinese-insecurity-and-power/news-story/f9469a8dcb9c306cc49918e66e07e69a
  17. ^ "China 'dogged by insecurity as much as driven by ambition' DFAT boss says". ABC News. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  18. ^ Hurst, Daniel (25 November 2020). "Australia's foreign affairs chief cautions China against resorting to 'coercion'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Top bureaucrat accuses China of stoking ethnic divisions in Australia". South China Morning Post. 29 October 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  20. ^ "Frances Adamson: Trust, cooperation and inclusion are fundamental to policy and delivery". 13 August 2019.
  21. ^ "IPAA National Fellows". National IPAA. 21 October 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
  22. ^ Transcript, IPAA ACT Secretary Address by Kathryn Campbell, Chaired by Francess Adamson, 21 Sep 2018
  23. ^ "IPAA ACT | Secretary Series | Kathryn Campbell CSC". www.act.ipaa.org.au. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  24. ^ ACT, IPAA (26 September 2018), Secretary Series - Kathryn Campbell CSC, retrieved 5 May 2023
  25. ^ Commonwealth Ombudsman, Lessons learnt about digital transformation and public administration: Centrelink’s online compliance intervention https://www.ombudsman.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/48813/AIAL-OCI-Speech-and-Paper.pdf
  26. ^ "Centrelink debt recovery program to face Senate committee grilling". ABC News. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  27. ^ a b c Frances Adamson announced as South Australia's new governor, replacing Hieu Van Le – ABC News, ABC News, 19 May 2021
  28. ^ "Frances Adamson sworn in as South Australia Governor". Sky News. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  29. ^ "Ms Frances Adamson". It's An Honour. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  30. ^ Harris, Rob (13 June 2021). "Top diplomat and public servant honoured for her service". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Frances Adamson.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Representative, Australian Commerce and Industry Office Taipei
2000–2005 		Succeeded by
Steve Waters
Preceded by Australian Ambassador to China
2011–2015 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
2016–2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of South Australia
2021–present 		Incumbent
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