There are many instances where the government has not actively assisted Australians overseas one only needs to look at the Covid era.
I believe they did organize "recovery" flights during that period with Qantas operating flights are far away as Argentina from what I recall, and I believe the government did subsidize some or all of the travel costs associated there. At the same time, Australian law compels all governments to bring its citizens home under the 1957 and 1961 UN Treaty on Reducing Statelessness. If someone is a citizen of a country, they cannot be left in "limbo" in a country where they aren't wanted. For instance, suppose an Aussie overstayed their visa in the U.S. and did not have the means to go home, how would that work? Certainly the government has to cover the costs associated with repatriation.
Australia's constitution does not have a bill of rights, and there is no specific law that requires the government to bring you home at tax payer expense if stranded abroad. If they do so it is out of good will, and this should not be relied upon.
Immigration rules certainly do. If you are a citizen of a country and no longer have the right to stay in that country you can be deported at the government's cost.
Getting back to the topic on hand, what I cannot understand is why governments are staging all these flights from Cyprus. I mean if they can make their way from Cyprus why can't they continue onward travel to somewhere else in the world? For instance, I think you can fly from Cyprus to Australia using existing routes, here's are some itinerary I found to Sydney from Cyprus:
Could someone explain what I am missing here?
If anything, I would argue that to the extent that governments should be providing consular assistance, it should simply be to the extent of leaving the war zone. Once you are in a safe third country, you're on your own.
-RooFlyer88