Media contact
For media enquiries please use this form: Media contact form
Get Loud
Getting your voice heard is essential for change to occur. There are a range of actions you can take to self-advocate for your right to return home. Learn more about each of the options further on this page.
Get Loud
If we want change we need to be heard. Stranded Aussies and their friends and loved ones can help by advocating for their right to return home. Our Get Loud toolbox provides the options for doing so.
Register with DFAT
Everyone stranded should register with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Doing so gives the government and public an accurate representation of the number of Stranded Aussies and may encourage the government to facilitate more repatriation flights. It is one of the few options available for keeping the pressure on our leaders.
Who can register?
The first page of the register discourages those who are not able to return immediately from registering, however, any Australian citizen or PR who is currently stranded may do so, as can anyone concerned that they will not be able to return to Australia when they plan to in the future. A selection of statuses are available to choose during the signup.
Where do I register?
See this how to guide with tips from one of our founding members:
Write to your elected representatives
It is vital that every stranded citizen and permanent resident contact their state and federal member of parliament (MP). They may be able to assist you with getting your situation resolved. MPs prioritise constituents from their own electorates.
We encourage you to get informed before you contact your MP or state senator. Many representatives are not aware of some of the official facts and figures published on this site.
What to Write?
We have some ideas.
A member of the Stranded Aussies Action Network drafted a letter to political representatives that lays out the relevant facts and figures. It includes a draft action plan. The letter is available for anyone to download and use as it is, or you are welcome to edit or add to it to suit your own situation and opinions.
Or simply write your own.
Who is my MP?
Find your federal member of parliament by entering your suburb on the Animals Australia page.
More contact details and tips
See our guide listing email addresses for all of Australia’s MPs, senators, state premiers and relevant federal ministers.
Our guide for contacting elected representatives
Ask friends and family to write to their elected representatives too
Guide your family and friends to this site, post links to our pages on social media and ask them to look at the information for themselves. Request they take a few minutes to write to their elected representatives on your behalf. The more our political decision makers hear from their constituents about the stranded Aussies crisis, the more likely they are to take action.
How do I make it easy for friends and family to contact their MP?
Provide them with the link to the action plan letter and our guides and tips for contacting political representatives.
Sign and share petitions.
A petition is a great way to gather support from people who care strongly about an issue. They show political leaders the level of public support. Petitions can also start the kind of conversations that change attitudes.
Make a human rights complaint to the United Nations.
The UN may assess cases where individuals are able to demonstrate that the Australian government’s policy is causing them ‘irreparable harm’. Such complaints may result in the UN recommending ‘interim measures’ to halt the human rights breaches. Australia’s government may decide to ignore those, but adverse media coverage may shame them into action.
We recommend you read this article by a human rights lawyer before making a complaint.
Visit the UN Human Rights Council website or use the button below to find instructions in our downloadable template.
How do I make a complaint?
Make a human rights complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
The AHRC is limited in its authority, however it may be able to make policy recommendations to the Australian government. Complaints may help draw attention to the issues, including via the media, and may also help to shape future policies around similar crises.
How do I make a complaint?
Visit the AHRC website or use the button below to find instructions in our downloadable template.
Also see our explainer: Restricting the right to return to one’s own country – a large scale human rights breach
Ensure that you are registered as an overseas voter
The only way we will get action is to let the politicians know that this issue, one that is impacting hundreds of thousands of people in Australia and overseas, will be at the front of our minds when we go to the ballot box. Make your vote count.
How can I vote while overseas?
If you wish to vote in the federal election you must be enrolled to vote. You can vote in person at an overseas voting centre (usually an Embassy, Consulate, or High Commission) or by applying for a postal vote online. The Australian Electoral Commission has info on voting while overseas.
Add a Stranded Aussie frame to your Profile Pic.
Facebook frames are a great way to spread awareness, raise brand awareness, and show support for a special cause. Download the frame.
