Federal election 2016: Libs plan 24/7 ‘global watch’

The government will establish a 24-hour-a-day global watch office and two new embassies and a consulate if it is re-elected.

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop. Picture: Keyn Stevens

The Turnbull government will ­establish a 24-hour-a-day global watch office linked to Australia’s intelligence agencies, and two new embassies and a consulate if it is re-elected on July 2.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will release the Coalition’s foreign policy today. It commits a Coal­ition government to spending $58 million over four years to ­expand the diplomatic network.

Although the document does not name the embassies to be estab­lished, reliable sources say Canberra has officially ­notified the governments of Morocco and Colom­bia of its desire to establish resident embassies there.

The new consulate will be in the bustling Indonesian port city of Surabaya, on Java. Last year, ­Australia opened a consulate in Makassar on Sulawesi island.

The new consulate will mean Indonesia ranks with China and India for the biggest and most numer­ous Australian diplomatic posts in Asia, and continues the government’s strong commitment to broadening the Indonesia relationship.

The global watch office will ­operate 24 hours a day, every day.

The department currently has a 24-hour hotline and can call in ­officers to establish a consular ­crisis centre should an emergency arise that may involve Austral­ians. The hotline will be integrated with the global watch centre and the mechanisms for convening a consular crisis centre will continue.

However, the global watch ­office will monitor any emerging crisis, such as the terror scare in Brussels, so it can be proactive in finding out if Australians are ­involved and if a consular or policy response is required.

It will be linked to Australia’s intelligence agencies to provide continuous cover and advice to the government, drawing on real-time information from the agencies.

The Coalition policy document says: “The shooting down of ­Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine and other recent ­global emergencies, including terrorist attacks in France, Belgium and Turkey and natural disasters in our region, have highlighted the need to enhance Australia’s crisis response capability.”

Establishing an embassy in Morocco will address a major gap in Australia’s diplomatic network. Across North and West Africa, Australia now has embassies only in Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana.

Given the centrality of the Arab world in global geopolitics, the government has recognised this is inadequate and the joint parliamentary committee on foreign ­affairs, trade and defence this year recommended the establishment of a resident embassy in Morocco.

Morocco is a key nation among moderate Arab powers and emerged from the Arab Spring with serious democratic reforms and political and social stability.

It is also a key player in regional counter-terrorism efforts and a generally pro-Western and friendly power in the Arab world.

Morocco is a strategic ally of NATO and has a close relationship, including a free-trade agreement, with Europe.

The planned embassy in Colom­bia will be only the fifth Australian embassy in Latin America. The others are in Mex­ico, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.