Safety alert for schoolies in Bali
State Education Minister Peter Collier has issued his own warning to schoolies headed to Bali, urging them to take special care amid tensions between Australia and Indonesia.
The caution comes as security experts declare it is safe for Australians to travel to Bali, saying protesters who laid siege to the Australian Embassy in Jakarta were a "rent-a-crowd".
Mr Collier said given current events young people planning to go to Bali, or Indonesia more broadly, should keep up to speed with travel warnings.
"In the current political climate, I would advise anyone travelling to Bali, particularly leavers, to be vigilant and exercise caution and not engage in behaviour which could be perceived as inflammatory," he said.
Neil Fergus, chief executive of security firm Intelligent Risks, said there was little danger to Australian tourists in Bali provided they behaved and avoided touchy subjects.
Foreign policy and security expert Dr Mike McKinley, of the Australian National University, said though the protesters' anger was sincere, he thought they were more of a "rent-a-crowd" and would not become a permanent feature. "I'm not convinced there are huge numbers of people prepared to go into the streets to vilify Australia," he said.
Murdoch University Professor of South-East Asian Studies David Hill said Indonesia, like Australia, was an open democracy that allowed anyone to take part in demonstrations.
