Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is very pleased a 60 Minutes crew is on their way home after being detained in Lebanon on allegations of child abduction.
Ms Bishop urged countries to accede to the Hague Abduction Convention, which allows the return of children kidnapped and of which Lebanon is not a party.
"Sadly, custody disputes can take a great toll on families," she told reporters on the NSW South Coast on Thursday, noting there was a number of other cases involving overseas and Australian parents.
Ms Bishop was aware of reports Nine Network paid for the release of the crew and mother Sally Faulkner.
A criminal investigation is ongoing in Beirut.
"Custody cases are always difficult, they rarely have a win-win situation for all," she said.
However, Ms Bishop said Australia could not get involved in legal matters of sovereign nations and warned travellers they must abide by the laws of the countries they visit.
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