Media release from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has launched an iPhone App and Facebook page as the latest additions to the Australian Government's Smartraveller consular campaign.
The new initiatives aim to make smarter travel easier for increasingly tech-savvy and mobile Australian travellers.
The iPhone app, which puts Australia at the leading edge of consular services around the world, provides location-aware travel advice overseas, the ability to register travel plans easily, and access to Smartraveller advice without the need for an internet connection.
The Smartraveller Facebook page is a new space for travellers to interact with travel advice, view consular videos and other Smartraveller content, and share their views with other travellers on key travel advice developments around the globe.
Ms Paula Ganly, DFAT's Assistant Secretary for Consular Policy, said these new initiatives recognise it's vital that consular services are as effective and accessible to as many Australians as possible.
"We are working hard to adapt to the changing needs of travelling Australians," Ms Ganly said.
"These new initiatives make it easier for travellers to access Smartraveller services from anywhere in the world."
Smartraveller encourages travellers to be prepared before they head off for their summer holidays, by registering their travel plans, reading and subscribing to travel advice and alerts, and taking out appropriate insurance before leaving the country.
For more information about Smartraveller and DFAT's consular role, please visit www.smartraveller.gov.au.