What the embassy can and cannot do for you if you are in trouble
Most people have a positive and safe experience when they travel internationally, but some things can go wrong. When trouble strikes, it can range from minor thefts, lost passports, and hospitalizations to more serious problems.
DFAT will be expected, in these situations, to provide whatever assistance it can. Where does our responsibility end and begin when we leave the shores of Australia? What can we expect of our government, and how can we minimize risks ourselves?
Travelers who behave badly
Former head of the consular services in the early 2000s, I know that the cases involving Australians overseas are not only limited to the major newsworthy situations. For example, the recent abduction by a criminal gang of an Australia-based professor in Papua New Guinea or the impact on Australians and families of the devastating quake in Turkey or Syria.
Our diplomats were faced with serious situations that required intensive work, but the job was more than just that.
Between June 2021-22, an average of 4 Australians will die overseas each day. An average of 2 Australians are arrested every single day for crimes ranging from drugs, theft, and fraud to immigration violations.
Nearly 16,000 Australians sought assistance from their local Australian overseas missions in crisis cases that year – more than three times the number of people who did so in 2018-19, before the pandemic. COVID-related returnees arranged by DFAT are counted separately. There were 62,000 in the last three years.
When we have an Australian passport, we can depend on the consular service to support us in these situations. In recent years, travelers’ expectations have increased partly due to the rapidity of communications and the immediate feedback they receive through social media.
Australian citizens wait in line for a government flight to Bali during the pandemic of August 2021. Made Nagi/EPA
Despite the fact that most Australians are independent travelers, many still fail to live up to their end of the bargain. The majority of Australians do not have adequate travel insurance. Some people ignore official travel warnings and then seek help from the government when something goes wrong.
Some people have unrealistic expectations, such as those who ask officials to book opera tickets or take care of their pets.
In arrest cases abroad, it can be not easy to manage expectations. Some Australians are surprised that their citizenship does not come with a “get-out-of jail card”. We are all bound by local laws and authorities, regardless of what we may think about the justice standards that apply in other countries.
There are approximately 300 to 400 Australians in prison abroad at any one time. The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations places real limitations on what the Australian Consular Service can do.
The service will monitor the trials of foreign prisoners, provide them with local legal representation, and check on their welfare periodically. That’s all. It also applies to those foreigners who are imprisoned here.
There are cases where the government demands the release of an individual. Sean Turnell was held in Myanmar until last year for political reasons. Most Australian prisoners abroad, unlike Turnell, have a case.
Stay safe with these three tips.
1. Be aware of where you are going
Australians are responsible for knowing what is happening in their destination. Many travelers have been affected by the conflicts in Ukraine and other places. They have also been affected by major weather events and disasters.
DFAT has largely ended its COVID repatriation program as international flights have returned to normal over the past year. To ensure that they return home, travelers will once again have to rely on their resources or travel insurance policies.
Smartraveller, the government’s website for travelers, is a great source of information. It covers everything from health issues to local security to legal and cultural issues. Recently, they launched a new advertising campaign to emphasize the importance of avoiding problems in the first instance.
Stay in touch with your family back home.
Each year, the consular service receives hundreds of inquiries about “whereabouts.” If disaster strikes while you are traveling, your friends and family will worry.
There were many people who, in each of the major disasters I responded to, such as the 9/11 attacks and the Bali bombings in 2002, caused untold pain to their families by failing them the information that they were safe.
In my book The Consul, I tell the story of an Australian who was working on the upper floors of the World Trade Center in New York. It took him ten days before he told his family that he was actually in London during the terrorist attacks.
3) Get good travel insurance
Travel insurance is something that every traveler should consider. Insurance is often thought of as a means to cover themselves in the event of a flight cancellation or if their personal belongings are stolen. Insurance is essential if you are sick, injured or die overseas. The Australian government can’t just pay for medical evacuations.