A new charity to help the families of the estimated 1000 Australians arrested overseas will be launched in Melbourne on Thursday.
The charity, known as Australians Detained Abroad, is the brainchild of former US military lawyer Dan Mori.
Dan MoriCredit: Simon Schluter
Mr Mori, who earned prominence as the lawyer defending Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks, said the goal of the charity was to provide practical help for families at home with loved ones abroad.
He said charity wanted to offer help to any Australians in trouble - not only high profile cases.
“Some of these people get locked up, the media might write one story about it - or media [exposure] might not be helpful at all, he said.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has signalled that the government is looking to introduce a "user-pays" system for consular assistance after 11,927 Australian sought help in the last financial year.
Former prime minister Malcolm Fraser and supreme court justice Lex Lasry will launch the charity on Thursday evening.