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  3. Consular State of Play 2023-24 now live!

Consular State of Play 2023-24 now live!

Last updated
Wednesday, 20/11/2024

The 2023-24 Consular State of Play is now available online.

The Consular State of Play is a snapshot of the consular assistance and crisis support the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) provides to Australians overseas.

In 2023-24, there were 15,227 cases where Australians needed consular assistance and crisis support.

As the number of Australians travelling overseas increased, so did the assistance the Australian Government provided. Compared to 2022-23, there was a 7% increase in non-crisis consular cases.

Every day, DFAT consular staff worldwide and in our 24/7 Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra provide consular assistance to Australians in person, over the phone and online.

In 2023-24, the case types we assisted with included:

  • Death, with 1,919 cases.
  • Illness and hospitalisation, with 1,356 cases.
  • Arrests, with 865 cases.
  • Whereabouts cases, with 328 cases.
  • Welfare and other serious matter cases, with 2,840 cases.
  • Lost passports, with 2,678 cases and stolen passports, with 1,945 cases.

Our data also shows DFAT’s Consular Emergency Centre answered 53,137 calls. This was on average, one call for help every 10 minutes.

Helping Australians before they travel, and supporting those in need overseas, remains one of the Australian Government’s highest priorities.

But it’s important that Australians travelling, and those already overseas, help manage their own safety and security by visiting Smartraveller.gov.au, reading and acting on the travel advice, and subscribing to free updates to stay informed.

How can you prepare for your overseas travel?

Smartraveller is the first destination for Australians planning to travel or already travelling or living overseas.

Even if you’ve travelled before or travel overseas regularly, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest information from Smartraveller.

Travel insurance is as essential as a passport. It can provide valuable financial protection in an unexpected event. Learn why insurance is important.

Check out our information on before you go and while you’re overseas, to help you prepare.

Whether you’re travelling for holidays, business or to visit family, make Smartraveller your first destination.

Read, act on the advice, and subscribe for free destination updates.

Read more

  • See the latest Consular State of Play data
  • Learn more about travel insurance
  • See Travel advice explained
  • Learn more about our Consular Services Charter
  • Read about travelling with medication and medical equipment

Emergency consular assistance

The Australian Government provides 24-hour consular emergency assistance.

+61 2 6261 3305 from overseas

1300 555 135 from within Australia

For how we can help you overseas see the Consular Services Charter.

Enquiries and feedback

For non-urgent enquiries, or to provide feedback on consular services that you've recently received, contact us online.

For information on notarial services, email legalisations.australia@dfat.gov.au

To report a vulnerability you’ve identified on this website or to find out more about the department’s Vulnerability Disclosure Policy visit the DFAT website

About us

Smartraveller is provided by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

For more information go to about us.

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  • Home
  • Before you go
    • The basics
      • Destinations
      • Europe and the Schengen Area
      • Getting a foreign visa
      • Travel insurance
      • CHOICE travel insurance buying guide
    • Who you are
      • Academics
      • Colour, race, ethnicity, or religion
      • Dual nationals
      • Journalists
      • LGBTQIA+
      • Mature and older travellers
      • School leavers
      • Travelling with children
      • Travelling with a disability
      • Travelling with pets
      • Women
    • Activities
      • Adoption
      • Antarctica and the Arctic
      • Backpacking
      • Business
      • Living and working overseas
      • Marriage
      • Retiring overseas
      • Sports and adventure
      • Studying
      • Surrogacy
      • Volunteering
    • Major events
      • Cultural events
        • Travel overseas for Anzac Day
      • Religious events
        • Travel overseas for Ramadan
        • Travel overseas for Hajj
      • Sporting events
        • Rugby League Las Vegas 2025
    • Health
      • Infectious diseases
      • Going overseas for a medical procedure
      • Medical assistance overseas
      • Medication and medical equipment
      • Mental health
      • Organ transplant tourism
      • Pregnancy
      • Reciprocal health care agreements
      • What happens if you die overseas
    • Staying safe
      • Armed conflict
      • Assault
      • Cyber security
      • Earthquakes and tsunamis
      • Kidnapping
      • Natural disasters
      • Partying safely
      • Piracy
      • Protests and civil unrest
      • Scams
      • Severe weather
      • Sexual assault
      • Terrorism
      • Theft and robbery
    • Laws
      • Carrying or using drugs
      • Child sex offences
      • Female genital mutilation
      • Forced marriage
    • Getting around
      • Air travel
      • Boat travel
      • Cruising
      • Public transport
      • Road safety
  • Destinations
    • View all destinations
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Middle East
    • Pacific
  • While you're away
    • When things go wrong
      • Arrested or jailed
      • Lost property
      • Medical assistance
      • Money problems
      • Someone is missing
      • Someone died
    • Crime overseas
      • Assaulted
      • Robbed or mugged
      • Sexually assaulted
    • Crisis or emergency
      • Earthquake
      • Severe weather
      • Volcanic eruption
      • Bushfire
      • Nuclear incident
    • Australia's biosecurity and border controls
  • Urgent help
  • Our services
    • Consular State of Play
      • Data
      • Case studies
      • Images
      • Videos
      • Audio
      • Historical data
    • Consular Services Charter
      • ميثاق الخدمات القنصلية (Arabic)
      • 领事服务章程 (Chinese Simplified)
      • 領事服務章程 (Chinese Traditional)
      • Panduan Layanan Konsuler (Indonesian)
      • 領事サービス憲章 (Japanese)
      • 영사 서비스 헌장 (Korean)
      • กฎบัตรว่าด้วยบริการต่าง ๆ ของกงสุล (Thai)
      • Quy định về Dịch Vụ Lãnh Sự (Vietnamese)
    • Communities
      • العربية (Arabic)
      • Bahasa Indonesia
      • 中文 简体 (Chinese Simplified)
      • 中文繁體 (Chinese Traditional)
      • 日本語 (Japanese)
      • 한국어 (Korean)
      • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
      • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
      • Filipino community
      • Indian community
    • Crises
    • News and updates
    • Notarial services
      • Documents we can legalise
      • Documents in Australia
      • Documents overseas
      • Certificate of No Impediment
      • Notarial forms
    • Passport services
    • Resources
      • Consular Privacy Collection Statement
    • Subscription
    • Travel advice explained
    • Voting overseas