SA: Travel warnings to be more available next year: Downer

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SA: Travel warnings to be more available next year: Downer

ADELAIDE, Dec 23 AAP - Crucial travel warnings would be more readily available underinitiatives to be announced next year, Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer saidtoday.

Responding to Opposition criticism that Australians were not receiving the government-issuedwarnings, Mr Downer said it would be "draconian" to force travel agents to give everytraveller all official advice.

However, he said there would be announcements next year about making travel advisoriesmore available.

"I don't think, in a free society, passing laws requiring every travel agent to presenta traveller with every travel advisory is necessary or sensible," Mr Downer told reportersin Adelaide today.

Labor foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd today said he contacted 20 travel agentsafter the government issued a warning on Friday for Australians to defer all non-essentialtravel to all parts of Indonesia, including Bali.

Each of the agents were asked: "What is the flight availability to Jakarta on January 20?"

"Of the 20 agents telephoned, only four made any reference to the existence of anyadverse travel advisories for Indonesia," Mr Rudd said.

Mr Downer said the travel warning was reissued on Friday to remind Australians to becareful during Christmas and New Year festivities rather than because new informationhad become available.

"It's much more a question of the time of year, the fact that is the Christmas/NewYear period and it's a period where there have been terrorist attacks in the past," hesaid.

He said there was no specific information in relation to terrorist threats but placesof worship tended to be vulnerable.

"This year, terrorist organisations have been more active and, particularly in thewake of Bali, people should be more careful," Mr Downer said.

AAP la/cd

KEYWORD: TERROR DOWNER