Bruce your views are sound except:

Using your initiative, learning the language? Its tantamount to going native, isn't it?

To be detached from feelings, from passions is sadly the mark of a professional. To have that derivative stiff upper lip that protects one's political betters (Lord Downer? Commoner Fitzgibbon?) from justice at all costs is the key.

Rudd's drive for Australia to be on the UN Security Council actually means more gabfests and Euro-diplomacy not less.

And what diplomat would want his/her kids to grow up or marriage falter in Lagos or Port Moresby when London, Vienna or Paris beckon? Human nature.

Pete
http://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2008/10/islamabad-marriott-hotel-bombing.html

Well we could save a bundle of money by pulling out of the UN and investing those resources into our diplomatic service and achieve a far better result for Australia and the countries we engage with.

What on earth is the point in trying to improve our diplomatic service when the likes of Amanda Vanstone will always be parachuted into cushy posts to wreak havoc?

Given this is the 21st century, and data-transfer, computer conferencing, and all their myriad cousins are widely available, do we even need a Diplomatic service?
I can see the need for a mission in far places, but since the Ambassadors and their staff are usually career public-servants or used politico's, and do little but cost us a great deal of money, both in service and upon retirement, maybe it's time to re-assess our approach? Do we really need all the parties, trips, servants, limousines, and extravagant wastage to achieve "status" on the world stage?
Do you really feel we're getting value for money from Vanstone in Rome? (While she was in Canberra it was a standard joke among the public-service that a measure of thickness was a "vanstone") Why do we need an Ambassador to the Vatican? Is the Catholic church so powerful that we need it? Surely a "branch office" of the Gov' would be able to perform most of the current functions of embassies, without all the expensive gloss? Just a thought.

But look at our Lord Downer and what he has injected into Cyprus. I hear she's quite nice.