Global Watch Office

Today I announce the establishment of the Australian Government Global Watch Office to strengthen Australia's capacity to monitor and respond to emerging overseas events on a 24 hour basis.

Worth $8 million over four years, the Global Watch Office will be established within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and incorporate the existing Consular Emergency Centre which provides consular and passports services to individual Australians overseas.

More Australians are travelling overseas than ever before. Recent terror attacks in Paris, Brussels, Ankara and Istanbul underscore how important it is that the Australian Government is well informed and able to respond quickly to emergency situations, including concurrent crises.

In the event of a crisis incident overseas, the Watch Office will provide the first advice to government and affected Australians. The additional capacity provided by the Watch Office will also enable the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to quickly activate crisis responses, update travel advice, support whole of government coordination for major overseas events and provide around the clock advice on fast-moving global situations.

The Global Watch Office will operate from 1 July 2017.