Australian Federal Police

The ‘Make Contact’ Christmas campaign was launched for the first time in December 2007 to raise awareness of the issues and impacts surrounding missing persons and to assist in location rates by encouraging missing persons, particularly those most at risk, to make contact over Christmas. The campaign focused on the two groups at risk of being a missing person: young people and the aged.

For most Australians, Christmas is associated with families coming together to celebrate the holiday season. However; for families and friends of missing persons, Christmas is a particularly difficult time in dealing with the uncertainty about the whereabouts of a family member or friend.

The tagline for the campaign was ‘This Christmas, please, make contact’. 

The Christmas campaign was an effective way to highlight the issues of missing persons at a time of year that focuses on family and reconnecting with loved ones. 

Indirectly, the campaign can act as a preventative strategy for those people considering going missing, as they may realise the impacts on their family and the broader community, particularly during Christmas time.