What is the Australian Government doing to ensure Australian travellers are aware of the difficulties they may encounter overseas?
The Australian Government aims to encourage travel which is both safe and responsible. Accordingly, the Department maintains travel advice for most countries that are popular destinations for Australians in all regions of the world. The Department does not issue travel bans and does not and cannot make decisions about whether, when or where Australians should travel. Every DFAT travel advice reminds Australians that consular assistance cannot override local law, even where local laws may appear harsh or unjust by Australian standards. They also highlight that local laws and legal processes can be very different from those in Australia and that a violation of local laws may result in a jail sentence, served in a local prison. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also prepares a range of consular publications which contain numerous travel tips for Australian travellers.
