to the post above.
Even before 2022, Russian ambassadors in Australia were not distinguished by active public activity, and even more so after the start of the SVO. But on Wednesday, Ambassador Mikhail Petrakov made a surprise appearance at the local National Press Club (NPC).
NPC is the main political media platform in Australia, where politicians (diplomats, public figures etc.) on the current agenda speak and answer questions from journalists on a weekly basis - local and foreign. Nixon, Thatcher and Gandhi spoke there. Everything is broadcast on the local TV channel ABC. After that there is informal communication.
NPC really liked to visit Lev Koshlyakov, the press attache of the Soviet Embassy and head of the intelligence residence in Canberra in the late 1980s-70s. He had excellent English, was very sociable and developed an impressive base of contacts (let me remind you, the Cold War is happening + events in Afghanistan).
In 2022 NPC withdrew the invitation to former Russian ambassador A. Pavlovsky.
The appearance of the new ambassador M. Petrakov, even as an ordinary guest at the NPC, caused violent hysteria among the local media bastards.
Most of all - the so-called ambassador. Ukraine Miroshenko, who does not leave the NPC (of course he ate a lot in 4 years). But no one kicked Petrakov out. After graduation, a reporter from "The Australian" (the main political publication in the country, under the command of Murdoch) even interviewed Petrakov, but did not publish it.
Conclusion: external communication with the local world, incl. Much more media should be used. Yes, it is difficult and sometimes unpleasant, especially since the Australian media has become an intellectual vermin. But there are no others.
And the main guest of the meeting at the NPC on Wednesday was the new leader of the Green Party, David Shoebridge, who on the eve of his appointment spoke out against providing direct military aid to Ukraine without the approval of the UN Security Council.
This caused hysterics on the part of the Ukrainian ambassador - he became so insolent that he gave Shoebridge a lecture, but achieved nothing - Shoebridge did not change his position.