Tribune’s note

The Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Thistlethwaite, issued a significant escalation of Middle East travel advice on 24 July, raising Bahrain and Kuwait to Level 4 — 'Do not travel' — the most serious advisory level on the Smartraveller scale [TA-260724-dfat-6eb2f8d89816]. The release was jointly issued with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Wong, signalling this is a coordinated foreign affairs portfolio response rather than a routine administrative update.

Six additional countries — Saudi Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Jordan — were placed at Level 3, 'Reconsider your need to travel'. The release cited intensifying military strikes across the region, warned that airspace and borders could close at short notice, and urged Australians in Level 4 countries to leave if it is safe to do so [TA-260724-dfat-6eb2f8d89816].

The portfolio committed to 24-hour consular assistance for Australians in the region. The breadth of countries affected — spanning the Gulf, Levant, and Arabian Peninsula — underscores the scale of the security deterioration the advice reflects. No parliamentary record is available for this date; the comms stream is the sole activity window.

Primary records (1)

The official records this note draws on — the raw primary documents themselves, as published.

MediaMiddle East travel adviceMatt ThistlethwaiteFriday 24 July 2026