Australian billionaire Adrian Portelli has reiterated his controversial claim that Dubai is safer than Melbourne, even as missiles fly overhead during the escalating Middle East conflict. Portelli, who is currently in Dubai for business, stated on Instagram that he feels more secure there than in his home city of Melbourne, which he described as plagued by violent crime.
“I would rather have missiles flying over my head than potentially waking up in the middle of the night to a bunch of thugs standing over my bed with machetes — and then nothing gets done about it,” Portelli said. He argued that violent offenders in Victoria face minimal consequences, adding, “They’ll get a slap on the wrist, and they’ll be like, ‘All right, go on. Go do it. Someone else.’”
Portelli confirmed he is not stranded overseas and declined an offer to be evacuated by private jet. He revealed he is in Dubai for work, having launched a property development company with local partners. “I’m not here on holidays. I’m not temporarily relocated here because I’ve started a development company with a few locals,” he said.
His comments come as other Australians in the region describe harrowing experiences. Sarah Goodwin, stuck in Doha, shared on TikTok that she was sheltering in a bathroom away from windows as alarms sounded. “My phone has alarmed like four times, and it’s really, really loud, and it’s so, so scary,” she said. Another Australian, Scott Graham, was 200 metres from Dubai’s Fairmont The Palm when it was struck by an explosion during an Iranian air attack. “I was across the road at the Palm Tower … I was in the restaurant and we heard this almighty boom,” he told Nine News.
An estimated 115,000 Australians remain in the Middle East amid the conflict. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has extended the government’s crisis portal to include Australians in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, urging them to register for updates. “We have about 11,000 Australians coming in and out of Australia on Etihad, Emirates and Qatar. So, that gives you some indication of the scale of the travel,” Senator Wong said.
