Disclaimer
This website is presented by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for the purpose of disseminating information free of charge for the benefit of the public.
DFAT does not guarantee, and accepts no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this website or on any linked site.
DFAT recommends that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to their use of this website and that users carefully evaluate the accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance of the material on the website for their purposes.
The material on this website is a summary only of the subject matter covered and is not intended to be nor should it be relied on as a substitute for legal or other professional advice. Users should obtain any appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances.
The material on this website may include the views or recommendations of third parties, which do not necessarily reflect the views of DFAT, or indicate its commitment to a particular course of action.
Links
This website contains links to other websites that are external to DFAT. DFAT takes reasonable care in linking to websites but has no direct control over the content of the linked sites, or the changes that may occur to the content on those sites. It is the responsibility of the user to make their own decisions about the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of information contained in linked external websites.
Links to external websites do not constitute an endorsement or a recommendation of any material on those sites or of any third party products or services offered by, from or through those sites. Users of links provided by this website are responsible for being aware of which organisation is hosting the website they visit.
Security
DFAT applies a range of security controls to protect its website from unauthorised access. However, users should be aware that the World Wide Web is an insecure public network that gives rise to a potential risk that a user's transactions are being viewed, intercepted or modified by third parties or that files which the user downloads may contain computer viruses, disabling codes, worms or other devices or defects.
DFAT does not warrant or represent that the material will not cause damage, or is free from any computer virus or any other defects or errors. DFAT accepts no liability for any interference with or damage to a user's computer system, software or data occurring in connection with or relating to this website or its use. Users are encouraged to take appropriate and adequate precautions to ensure that whatever is selected from this site is free of viruses or other contamination that may interfere with or damage the user's computer system, software or data.
DFAT is not liable to users of the material for any loss or damage however caused resulting from the use of the material.
Foreign embassies and consulates in Australia
Inclusion of a name in the Diplomatic List [PDF] and the list of representatives of international organisations does not of itself imply that the person listed is entitled to any particular privileges or immunities under the relevant Conventions. Some listed persons may, for example, be affected by Article 37 or Article 38 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Inclusion of a name in the Consular List does not itself denote that the person is entitled to any particular privileges or immunities under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Some listed persons may, for example, be affected by Article 71 of the Convention.
Social media
DFAT uses a number of social media services to complement its traditional public outreach activities. These services include Twitter, YouTube, and social bookmarking and sharing buttons on DFAT’s websites. The number and nature of social media services used by DFAT will change over time. The following disclaimer applies to all social media services in use by DFAT at any given time, regardless of whether they are listed on this page.
Any content, views, opinions and/or responses to questions uploaded, expressed or submitted by the creators, sponsors, advertisers or users of social media services utilised by DFAT, other than the content provided by DFAT, are solely the views, opinions and responsibility of the person submitting them and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DFAT. DFAT is not responsible for content that third parties publish, post, upload, distribute, disseminate or otherwise transmit via social media services.
Social media services may occasionally be unavailable and DFAT accepts no responsibility for lack of service due to downtime.
While DFAT will endeavour to maintain the currency and accuracy of information published via social media services, DFAT does not warrant the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the information available on its social media channels.
The Commonwealth, DFAT, its staff, agents and contractors, accept no liability in any way for the currency, accuracy or completeness of any material posted on social media sites and disclaims all responsibility for any loss or damage which may arise from the use of information provided via this vehicle. Users should check the accuracy and currency of information before taking any action. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. We may include links to other web pages, but these links are not an endorsement of those pages. DFAT is not responsible for the content of any web site not operated by DFAT.
Your privacy
Users are reminded that social media sites are public spaces on the internet and interactions are publicly viewable and searchable over time. Social media services provide their own disclaimers and policies on collection and use of visitor information, over which DFAT has no control. DFAT encourages users to familiarise themselves with the terms of use of each social media site before use.
Due to privacy considerations it is not possible to reply to consular or passport queries via social media services. For consular assistance please phone the 24 hour consular emergency centre on 1300 555 135, or +612 6261 3305. For other enquiries please use the "Contact Us" details on the DFAT website, the Smartraveller website and the Australian Passports Office website.
Replies
DFAT will not reply individually to comments and messages received via social media services. However, we will read all comments and make sure any emerging themes or helpful suggestions are passed on to the right people.
Comment moderation
While DFAT does not wish to stifle conversation on social media sites, users must not post or upload any comments or links to DFAT-managed social media pages that are unlawful, or may defame, discriminate, offend, interfere with privacy or infringe copyright or other intellectual property rights. DFAT reserves the right to moderate comments and may remove any comments that, in DFAT’s opinion, are inappropriate.
Twitter is a web-based group messaging service. DFAT has an account @dfat which is available to any user who wishes to follow. DFAT’s Twitter followers can access updates from mobile devices.
DFAT’s Twitter feed is intended to provide the public with updates on DFAT related issues such as Australia's foreign and trade policies, breaking news and media releases, key speeches, the latest travel advisories, recruitment information, announcements of upcoming events and publications.
If you follow DFAT on Twitter, DFAT will not automatically follow you back.
For information about replies and your privacy please see above.
YouTube
YouTube is a video sharing service. DFAT’s presence on YouTube includes the following YouTube channels:
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Minister for Trade
- Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs
Friend requests
DFAT will not automatically accept YouTube friend requests.
For information about replies, comment moderation and your privacy please see above.
Social bookmarking and sharing
DFAT uses social bookmarking and sharing buttons on a number of its websites. These buttons enable visitors to easily share content on DFAT’s websites via social media services such as Twitter and Facebook or bookmark content through social bookmarking services such as StumbleUpon and Digg.
For information about your privacy please see above.