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115,000 Australians in the Middle East region
As Australians are warned not to travel to the Middle East, Penny Wong says there are about 115,000 Australians in the region, and about 11,000 travelling regularly in and out of Australia on Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways.
It’s very difficult at the moment for government to provide a great deal of assistance in circumstances where flights are being cancelled, disrupted and their space is closed.
First we need to see if commercial flights will restart. Given the numbers of people in the region, people will get home most quickly if they, if, if we can facilitate people getting on to commercial flights. At the moment, the issue is not who is flying, it’s that people are not flying.
We understand this will be a challenging time for many people, particularly those with family in the region or travel plans.
The Albanese government’s priority is the safety and security of Australians. We will continue to support Australians to navigate the disruption ahead, providing regular travel advice updates and consular assistance where we can, noting there are limits to what any government can do in a fast-moving and uncertain environment.
Closely monitor events and local media.
Check directly with their travel agent or airlines to confirm their plans.
Review their travel insurance to understand what is covered in the event of cancellations.
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/mar/02/politics-updates-federal-parliament-anthony-albanese-labor-angus-taylor-coalition-nsw-budget-estimates-iran-war-reactions-ntwnfb
Author : Krishani Dhanji
Publish date : 2026-03-01 20:10:00
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