Australia has reopened a consulate general’s office in Chicago after an eight-year absence, in time for Australians living in the Midwest to cast their votes in that nation’s upcoming federal elections.
“Everybody that we’ve talked to [is] very, very pleased, obviously, because it’s convenient for them,” said Consul Melissa Stenfors.
The country maintained a consulate general’s office in Chicago until 1993, when it was closed because of a budgetary decision, Stenfors said.
The office reopened Oct. 8 at 123 N. Wacker Drive to help serve the estimated 10,000 Australians living in the region. It will provide a polling place for the Nov. 10 general election.
“There’s been an influx of Australians here in the last few years,” Stenfors said.
Consulates handle immigration and legal matters as well as provide other services for foreigners living in the United States.
The new office provides greater service and convenience for Australians who formerly had to wait months for a consul to visit their area or travel to one of the consulate generals in New York, Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Atlanta.
![At a recent wedding reception in Chicago, guests gathered to toast the newlyweds at the bar. Glasses were lined up in front of them, but no alcohol was poured. Instead, marijuana vapor was pumped into the upside-down glasses, which were then lifted and inhaled in unison. “A lot of people were surprised,” bride Aja Heinlein said. “They didn’t even know that was something they could do.” In the new world of cannabis, consumption at private events like weddings, holiday parties and corporate events is becoming more common. The state law that legalized recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ctc-L-Illinois-marijuana-wedding15_187593870.jpg?w=525 "At a recent wedding reception in Chicago, guests gathered to toast the newlyweds at the bar. Glasses were lined up in front of them, but no alcohol was poured. Instead, marijuana vapor was pumped into the upside-down glasses, which were then lifted and inhaled in unison. “A lot of people were surprised,” bride Aja Heinlein said. “They didn’t even know that was something they could do.” In the new world of cannabis, consumption at private events like weddings, holiday parties and corporate events is becoming more common. The state law that legalized recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and […]")
