CIAO DATE: 05/2008
October 2007
Lowy Institute for International Policy
More Australians are now travelling overseas than ever before, and more
and more are finding themselves in trouble abroad as a result. The
Federal Government has put a strong emphasis on helping those
Australians whose travel plans go wrong for various reasons, but
recently there have been signs that this may have gone too far. Today
helping Australians in trouble abroad is perhaps the single most
demanding and time-consuming responsibility of the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade. Budgets are tight, and resources once
devoted to wider national interests are now spent helping individuals
who find themselves in trouble. This is starting to have implications
for Australia's wider foreign policy.
In a new Lowy Institute Policy Brief, Visiting Fellow Hugh White asks if it is time to start drawing some lines.
Resource link: Looking after Australians overseas [PDF] - 761K