Relationship dossier
Australia
Qatar
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation alongside disputes over airport examinations and Qatar Airways access
Australia toward Qatar
-5Australia declined Qatar Airways’ request for additional flights in 2023, a decision that became a source of bilateral tension. Australia also sought accountability after Australian passengers were among women subjected to forced examinations at Doha airport in 2020.
Qatar toward Australia
+5Qatar facilitated evacuation flights for Australians from Afghanistan in 2021. After women, including Australians, were subjected to forced examinations at Doha airport in 2020, Qatar apologized and pursued action against airport officials.
Overall relationship
+5The relationship includes practical assistance, notably Qatar’s facilitation of Australian evacuation flights from Afghanistan, as well as significant disputes over the 2020 airport examinations and Australia’s 2023 decision on additional Qatar Airways flights. These features support a mixed assessment rather than a close or predominantly adversarial relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Australia–Qatar relations combine practical cooperation with notable disputes. Qatar facilitated evacuation flights for Australians from Afghanistan in 2021. Relations were strained by the 2020 forced examinations of women at Doha airport, including Australian passengers, and by Australia’s 2023 decision not to grant Qatar Airways additional flights. These episodes indicate cooperation alongside recurring friction.
Areas of tension
- Forced examinations of women, including Australian passengers, at Doha airport in 2020
- Australia’s 2023 decision not to grant Qatar Airways additional flights
Key developments
Qatar facilitated evacuation flights for Australians from Afghanistan.
Women, including Australian passengers, were subjected to forced examinations at Doha airport; Qatar apologized and pursued action against airport officials.
Australia declined Qatar Airways’ request for additional flights.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of ongoing bilateral cooperation are unclear.
- The longer-term effects of the airport examination dispute and the flight-capacity decision are uncertain.