The federal opposition has accused the Albanese government of responding too slowly to the escalating crisis in the Middle East, claiming thousands of Australians may have been left vulnerable because of delayed warnings.
Shadow defence minister James Paterson said the government had been “flat-footed” in its response and failed to adequately alert Australians in the region to the potential risks.
Speaking on ABC radio, Paterson said more than 115,000 Australians were currently in the Middle East, many of whom might have chosen to leave earlier had they received stronger warnings from the government.
“I think the government’s response to this crisis has been a bit flat-footed,” Paterson said.
“So far, we have 115,000 Australians stranded in the Middle East, many of whom might have chosen to leave had they been more directly warned by the government last week that this was a possibility.”
Paterson also criticised the government for failing to publicly warn Australians sooner, pointing to what he described as a lack of public communication from Foreign Minister Penny Wong in the lead-up to the escalation.
“The foreign minister did not make a single public comment herself in the week leading up to these events,” he said.
Paterson argued that the government clearly recognised the seriousness of the situation before the escalation became widely apparent.
He noted that the government had already moved to withdraw family members of staff working for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from the region.
“We obviously had enough notice to know that we should withdraw family members of DFAT personnel from the region, which the government did on Friday,” he said.
“But on Friday, why didn’t the foreign minister make a public statement?”
The comments add to growing political debate in Canberra about how the government is handling the rapidly changing security situation in the Middle East.
The crisis has prompted travel warnings from governments around the world and raised concerns about the safety of foreign nationals in several countries in the region.
Australian authorities routinely advise citizens travelling overseas to register with DFAT’s Smartraveller service so they can receive alerts about security developments and evacuation advice if necessary.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade regularly updates travel advisories when geopolitical tensions escalate, including recommendations for Australians to reconsider travel or leave areas experiencing instability.
While opposition figures have criticised the timing of the government’s public messaging, Labor ministers have argued that the government continues to monitor the situation closely and provide travel guidance through official channels.
The Albanese government has not indicated any plans for a broader evacuation of Australians from the region but has maintained that contingency planning is standard practice during periods of international instability.
Security analysts note that sudden escalations in geopolitical conflicts can make evacuation decisions difficult, particularly when large numbers of citizens are spread across multiple countries.
Political scrutiny of the government’s response is expected to continue in federal parliament as the situation in the Middle East evolves and Australian officials assess potential risks to citizens abroad.
