Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am happy to support this motion. In fact, I'm proud because, like many Australians, I have had the enormous privilege of discovering the wonder of our globe. One of the great and most endearing parts of being an Australian and going overseas is seeing how many Australians choose to go beyond our boundaries to learn, grow and see the world surrounding us. It's one of the great joys to see that people can do it safely and securely, for the most part, and part of it comes back to the knowledge that we have consular services that are there for you. It's always important to understand that, when you're in the worst of situations, the government may be in a position to help, but, equally, you have to take responsibility for your circumstances if you want to be in the best position when you travel overseas.

It was encouraging to hear about the 12,454 consular cases that were addressed by our consular services in the recent report Consular state of play 2016-17. Of course, we'd rather not have any cases, but people always lose passports, people will always experience theft and, unfortunately, people will always experience some health conditions while they're overseas. The main thing is to make sure that we can help them as best we can, and our consular services do an excellent job. That is in addition to the good work of the Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra, which assisted 66,000 phone calls involving Australians in trouble overseas.

We have to take time to thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's consular officers for the work they do and the safety and peace of mind that they bring to families. I have not been in this situation, but I can imagine nothing worse than being in a situation where you don't know the circumstances that a family member is facing overseas. There may be a terrorist attack or the like, but DFAT is there to help and support people. Importantly, the Consular state of play report details the more than 1,700 cases of Australians who had health problems while they were overseas. Nine out of 10 Australians who travel overseas do have health insurance, so it's important to acknowledge that and to congratulate Australians for taking that degree of responsibility, but it's also important to acknowledge that there is one in 10 who do not, and we have to make sure that all of them have a proper understanding about the insurance they get.

While the government can provide consular assistance, the consular charter outlines DFAT's limitations of what can be done for Australians when they run into trouble overseas. It is not unending. DFAT is committed to providing equitable, effective, prompt and courteous consular services, but the government cannot pay for medical treatment when people are overseas, or for evacuation to Australia or to a third country, or for the repatriation of remains, may that situation be necessary.

That's why insurance matters so much, and every Australian has to make sure they get it, especially when people go on overseas cruises. The two previous speakers, the member for North Sydney and the member for Brisbane, have rightly spoken about the fact that you can't simply rely on ship medical services because, invariably, people will experience problems that go beyond that. So the increasing number of Australians going on overseas cruises still need travel insurance. Take Erica Conway, who was enjoying a cruise off the coast of Vanuatu when a sudden cyclone caused her to fall and break the top of her femur. In need of partial hip replacement, Erica was evacuated to a major hospital in Noumea. It could have been a complete nightmare, but Erica had taken out adequate travel insurance, which allowed the surgery in Noumea to go ahead at no cost. Erica's family was kept up to date, and her son, Simon, was flown from Tasmania to Noumea to be with his mother. Our consular officers provided support and guidance throughout their stay. That claim ultimately cost tens of thousands of dollars.

I've been to the United States myself and ended up in a hospital. I needed assistance, and it was not cheap. Similarly, I've been in Switzerland and had to get dental work, and, equally, it was not cheap. But I was able to rely on my travel insurance, so you've heard it from someone who has experience firsthand. Imagine the case of Erica if her policy had not covered the fall due to a technicality? That's why it's so important that DFAT has the Insurance Council of Australia's Survey of Australian's Travel Insurance Behaviour. It found that travel insurance claims remained at about 90 per cent. But, critically, people have to take responsibility for themselves. That's why it's important to get travel insurance and to investigate it properly, but also to make sure people check out and register appropriately with DFAT when they go overseas. And I always encourage people to visit the government's website to get up-to-date information about travel and security arrangements at Smartraveller.gov.au.

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