The incoming brief for the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong contained the stark admission that cascading international crises including Afghanistan and Ukraine “have strained our ability to provide a high-level consular service to Australians overseas”.
The heavily redacted document, given to the incoming minister as part of a briefing to help them get across Australia’s foreign affairs portfolio and obtained by Guardian Australia under FOI laws, warned the “need for global collaboration and solutions is more acute than ever”.
