DFAT under fire after Australians in Israel receive wrong evacuation link amid escalating Iran conflict
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has come under fire for what has been described as a “shambolic” attempt to assist Australians stranded in Israel, as Iranian missile attacks continue to strike Tel Aviv.
An evacuation registration email sent to Australians in the region contained a significant error: the link provided for registering personal details redirected recipients to the Department of Home Affairs’ Translation and Interpreting Service, a platform intended for non-English speakers.
According to the Daily Telegraph, affected Australians were notified in an online update on Monday that the email contained an incorrect link.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Lots of Aussies got an email from DFAT asking for more information but the link didn’t work, which pretty much sums up how this whole situation has felt,” one Australian told the publication.
“Unless someone was planning to translate their evacuation request into Mandarin, Hindi or Swahili, it wasn’t much help.”
Reports indicate it took several days for DFAT officials in Israel to establish a functional system capable of collecting passport, visa, and flight information from Australians stranded amid the escalating conflict.
“We just hope it actually leads to action. It’s not enough to just collect names - people are scared and want to get out,” the traveller said.
“It’s shambolic, and would almost be funny if it wasn’t such serious and stressful situation.”
DFAT has not yet commented on the situation.
Among those stuck in Israel is Olympian and former senator Nova Peris, who took to social media platform X to describe the “extremely frightening and distressing” situation that is unfolding in the region.
“I’m with 11 other Australians, including several First Nations brothers and sisters. The past 24 hours have been deeply confronting. We spent the early hours of yesterday in a bomb shelter, and much of today there too,” she wrote.
“We’ve witnessed the unrelenting ballistic missile attacks in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and across Israel. There have now been three waves of missiles fired directly from Iran, targeting civilians, destroying homes, and causing widespread devastation.
“We can’t wait to come home. But for now, we’re safe, in bomb shelters, we’re together, and our hearts are with all those living through this terror.”
