Wedgies and petty theft tie up consular staff

[Mal]

Australian travel incidents

TOUCHING up a Singapore Airlines flight attendant, giving drinkers "wedgies" at Oktoberfest and pilfering bar mats from coughet bars. Australians love to travel and are, it seems, finding ever more unorthodox ways of extending time overseas - even if it means bunking down in the lock-up.

"Australians go everywhere, and everywhere they go they get into trouble," a senior official from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says. "It makes you proud."

 

[odysseus]

"Makes you proud." What an odd thing to say. It'd be better to spend time on more important things, than waste it on dealing with stupid things.

 

[russianrob]

You gotta love Aussie ironic humor.
What really sucks is trying to get any Australian Mission to help you when you run into real strife (as distinct from alcohol or theft).
I had one Australian representative tell me, he wasn't there to assist Australians overseas, but to facilitate trade and immigration only!
And at another Consulate they didn't want to even let me in the door as no one there that day could speak english! (the ONE who could, had gone home sick)
Don't ever call Australian Foreign Affairs staff overseas, Public Servants.......that would be an oxymoron.

 

[fortymilliondaggers]

Real trouble?

 

[coco50]

I tend to lack sympathy for Australians arrested overseas for drunken or foolish misbehaviour. With the stolen bar mat incident in coughet, it really annoyed me to see the woman's brother in law on TV saying that he wanted the Australian government to act NOW!! Of course no thanks from him when the woman was released. What may be a minor misdemeanor in Australia can be a seriuos offence in another country. The announcement about importing drugs to SIN/HKG or Thailand usually quietens the aircraft down an hour from landing. A warning to Australians overseas - don't behave stupidly.

 

[dede]

TOUCHING up a Singapore Airlines flight attendant, giving drinkers "wedgies" at Oktoberfest and pilfering bar mats from coughet bars. Australians love to travel and are, it seems, finding ever more unorthodox ways of extending time overseas - even if it means bunking down in the lock-up.

"Australians go everywhere, and everywhere they go they get into trouble," a senior official from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says. "It makes you proud."

So Sir Les Patterson still works in Foreign Affairs then does he?

 

[medhead]

Gee and I thought wowser was a term from yester-year. It makes me proud to see that some Australians still don't take themselves too seriously and also that Australia is a country where the State isn't concerning themselves with what happens inside private business. i.e the stolen bar mat. What the hell was a cop doing in the bar looking for stealing by night. The cops might be in bars here but that is to look for licensing issues and such like. Otherwise the bar owner needs to call in Aussie cops for things like theft, exactly as it should be.

As for the octoberfest wedgie thing, perhaps if the germans gave out a few wedgies anout 70 years ago thing might have turned out a bit different

 

[Mal]

What the hell was a cop doing in the bar looking for stealing by night.

Hmm, similar things happen here - eg: Woman bites police officer, not fond of the taste | The Courier-Mail

I don't think we know the full story yet, although a few things are apparent:
She was in possession of stolen goods.
She was charged for theft.
She admitted the crimes and was deported.

 

[medhead]

Hmm, similar things happen here - eg: Woman bites police officer, not fond of the taste | The Courier-Mail

I don't think we know the full story yet, although a few things are apparent:
She was in possession of stolen goods.
She was charged for theft.
She admitted the crimes and was deported.

Umm that story is not very similar at all. The off duty copper was off duty. The store had a problem and dealt with it via their system and call in the police. e.g. There wasn't a cop in the shop looking for shoplifters.

As for the bar mat stealing, I don't put much value on her admission. Plead guilty, pay a $30 fine and get out of here or spend much more money fighting on and keep rotting in prison. Gee, hard choice. :shock:

As for Brisbane coppers, well I've had them claim I was outside the gabba (which i was) but some how I was illuminated by the lights from the ground. I don't know, last time I checked the point of lights at sports ground was the light up the field and the air above the field. Not the area 100 m on the other side of the grandstand.

 

[Mal]

This article written by former Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer is pretty good:

AdelaideNow... Idiot Aussies: Grow up and take responsibility

<snip a little>

After about 10 minutes as foreign minister I was a little surprised to learn I was "responsible" for miscreant Australians who got into trouble in foreign countries.

No, no, no, don't get it wrong - drug traffickers, drunks, kleptomaniacs and fraudsters weren't responsible for their own stupidity - I was.

It's about time that great nanny in Canberra, the Federal Government, turned around and told people they are responsible for their own decisions.

 

[odysseus]

It makes me proud to see that some Australians still don't take themselves too seriously and also that Australia is a country where the State isn't concerning themselves with what happens inside private business. i.e the stolen bar mat.

Yet the opposite is true given that the state is getting involved in such matters.

 

[oz_mark]

This article written by former Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer is pretty good:

AdelaideNow... Idiot Aussies: Grow up and take responsibility

<snip a little>

Indeed, well said (and I can understand why he couldn't say it as Foreign Minister)

 

[medhead]

This article written by former Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer is pretty good:

AdelaideNow... Idiot Aussies: Grow up and take responsibility

<snip a little>

Typical Downer drivel. He is not responsilble for their mistake or misfortune, but the role of a consular or an embassy is well understood in international relations and the constitution is quite explicit about the support the government is required to provide to Australian's while overseas. For that the government is responsible.

As for Downer, I just keep remembering the "things that batter". The man is an imbicle of the first order.

Yet the opposite is true given that the state is getting involved in such matters.

The state is involved because of the requirements of the constitution.

 

[Mal]

the role of a consular or an embassy is well understood in international relations and the constitution is quite explicit about the support the government is required to provide to Australian's while overseas. For that the government is responsible.

I have searched, and cannot find any material supporting this claim about what Constitutional support the Govt is required to provide while Australians are overseas - could you please help me out?

 

[oz_mark]

The state is involved because of the requirements of the constitution.

I am not sure which part of the constitution you are refering to, but leaving that aside, the state is involved, but there are only limited things that can really be done.

 

[medhead]

I am not sure which part of the constitution you are refering to, but leaving that aside, the state is involved, but there are only limited things that can really be done.

Well I slightly misspoke, it is not directly in the constitution, but by vertue of Clause 51 of the Constitution and international treaty obligations, the commonwealth is required to provide the means for cizitens to identify themsleves as AUstralian while travelling overseas. This is why the passport act is has an objective of:

The principal object of this Act is to provide for the issue and
administration of Australian passports, to be used as evidence of
identity and citizenship by Australian citizens who are travelling
internationally

And states:

An Australian citizen is entitled, on application to the Minister, to
be issued with an Australian passport by the Minister.

The government are also required to render assistance in limited circumstances, as you note. The critical difference that I referred to originally is that this involvement by Australia is after the fact, and is limited to obligations arising due to international agreements and responsibilities. It is not appropriate to compare this involvement with the sort of government involvement that occurs elsewhere. There going back to my original point I am proud partly because of the limited and proportionant involvement of our government.

I guess that means I'd agree with Downer about the public demands re Corby.

 

[odysseus]

It is not appropriate to compare this involvement with the sort of government involvement that occurs elsewhere. There going back to my original point I am proud partly because of the limited and proportionant involvement of our government.

I'm disappointed they don't take more concern about the actions of individuals on private property, yet then spend time and resources defending those who don't respect others' property.

 

[medhead]

I'm disappointed they don't take more concern about the actions of individuals on private property, yet then spend time and resources defending those who don't respect others' property.

I didn't think they defended people :shock: If so that is not right. I thought it was more like help accessing a lawyer and explanation of the local legal system, that type of thing.

 

[JohnK]

And these are the type of people who give Australians a bad name, reputation, overseas.

I am still amazed at the number of Australians who go overseas and do not have a clue about the culture they are visiting or getting drunk and continuing to drink even though it is clear they have lost control and then causing mischief or getting themselves into trouble.