So keep your current phone breathing a bit longer and have an eye on Fairphones web page.
Cheers, mate.
An update date…
The phone carrier telstra works completely fine. The dual sim is not working. At the moment I am in remote South Australia. Telstra is the only network that works on any phone here. But happy to say the fairphone 2 is going strong. Im going to try the dual sim when I get back to a big city. But from what I have read dual sim may not work in Australia. More to come…
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Dual SIM does not work in Australia because all 2G networks have been shut down. There is no workaround. You would have to get a newer phone which supports 3G / 4G on both SIMs simultaneously (like the FP3).
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Hi, I’m hoping someone on this forum could help me. My current phone is really on its last legs and I’m keen to buy ethically so the Fairphone naturally has been in the forefront, but I don’t have any travelling relatives or European friends at the moment, but am still keen to support Fairphone and not just buy an iPhone etc. I contacted a Fairphone representative and he said that if I somehow get one out here Fairphone doesn’t offer any support etc in Australia, also getting the new parts seems like a hassle. I’m looking at the Fairphone 3 and maybe using a mail forwarding service or something, but not sure of the best option? Anyone done something similar? Any help would be great?
Hi, there might be a wonderful person on this community that could help you out? It just depends of course on whether you’d trust someone. You’ll also have to pay a transport fee as well. (I’m in Aus too!). Probably good that you’re in time for the Fairphone 3, my Fairphone 2 is dying a slow death 
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You could shop with vireo.de, as they deliver worldwide:
When ordering before X-mas, you get a display protection foil (worth 5.99 €) for free plus a voucher for 10% off with the next order of Fairphone accessories.
I guess, they don’t have an english homepage, but I use deepl.com for translation in such cases.
Edit:
There is another alternative, Clove in the UK, that might even come cheaper than vireo:
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Hi there, I am wondering, if anyone could give me some advice. I am looking at importing a Fairphone 3, from one of the international retailers or mail-forwarding, to Australia, but I am wondering, with the emissions and environmental damage caused from air travel, is that kind of counterproductive to the Fairphone idea? Should I just buy a somewhat modular phone, that I think I can keep for some time, even though it doesn’t stand for what Fairphone does, just because it is available in my country of residence? Kind of an ethical dilemma. I understand Fairphone is about much more than just carbon emissions, but I’m not sure what the trade off is. What if I bought a Fairphone, and paid a carbon offset company? I’m not sure. Thanks for any advice.
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I suppose you could use another phone for some time, and arrange yourself to buy a Fairphone next time you travel to Europe for any reason, or next time a european friend or family member comes and visit you, he/she could bring you one (but you probably already thought about it).
I don’t think it defeats the purpose of Fairphone. The best would indeed be not to make it travel by airplane to Australia, but it is more a question of which values you choose first, whether the fairness of Fairphone is more important than the ecological impact the travel would have. As you said, it’s kind of an ethical dilemma, and also very personal. At this point, I would say it’s up to you to choose (personally, I think I would).
Buying a phone from a company that pays their employees correctly and give them social rights, and that doesn’t use precious metals from mines where children work, etc…
I’m not sure this is helping you, I’m just giving my two cents.
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Yeah, I think that’s about right, Fairphone is really about investing in a movement I guess, an initiative for change in the industry. Perhaps with enough support, they’ll be global one day I’m not certain, but there are definitely some valid pros and cons. Thank you for taking the time to reply.
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I think in an area with (so far and inevitably) such an extremely low density of Fairphones, it is even more important to create and maintain a network of Fairphoners. This topic alone might not suffice actually; maybe it would make sense if you would either create a permanent multi-person private message conversation here so that its participants by default get notified more strongly once someone posts in it – or at least people here upgrade their alert intensity for this topic (e.g. from “Tracking” to “Watching”).
I think this would be especially necessary in order to facilitate the exchange of spare parts between Australian Fairphoners. Whenever one Australian Fairphoner would plan a trip to Europe, this would be an opportunity to get new spares for others, too.
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Hi,
I am an advocate for Fairphone since they did the crowdfunding for the first model.
And I totally understand your dilemma.
You should do yourself a list of “pros” and “cons” to find a decision based on your own preferences.
Besides the shipping around half the world, you will face some more hardships as well.
The Australian networks are not completely supported, warranty cases will take shipping back and forth again, costing time and money besides the carbon footprint.
Spare parts / accessories / modules you might want to buy later on will need to be shipped as well. And a really important point is, that the Li-Ion batteries might be hard to come by, since they are dangerous goods and resellers normally do not ship them alone (i.e. outside of a device).
You should be willing and able to do some tinkering and experimenting on your own.
If you are looking for a phone to unpack and have fun with for the years to come, the FP is a bit of a gamble, even if it’s just the battery you might need later on.
An alternative, that is mentioned quite regularly, is buying a second hand phone. It’s a bit more ecological than buying a new one, though it - obviously - does not change the market or the life of the people mining raw materials or manufacturing the phones. Therefore it’s a compromise.
So it’s up to you, as alex21 already posted.
But I won’t give you my opinion, since I am not in your shoes and don’t know what your preferences are and what is “driving you”.
Maybe do some reading on this forum and ask one or the other question in threads and topics, that you are interested in, to fill your list of pros and cons. 
All the best! 
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Hi there Deanna!
Thanks so much for such a detailed overview of the fairphone process. I am also in adelaide and have been hoping to invest in a fairphone for a while now. Crazy to think that we’re up to the fairphone 3 and we still can’t purchase in Australia!
I was wondering if you might be able to provide a quick update on your fairphone journey? How has your phone continues to perform/be replaced? Thanks again so much 
Lauren
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Hi Lauren,
Yep! Would be awesome if they were sold here… One day!!!
You can order a Fairphone to a UK address using this web address: https://shop.fairphone.com/gb_en/
And you can use SkyPax to get a UK address (and then pay Skypax to ship it forward onto you).
I love my Fairphone. I’m on no 3 now and I know people with no 2, 3 and 3+. They’re definitely improving with every model. Camera is a lot better now too (though it’s not an iPhone, but it’s very decent and it’s made transparently and as sustainably and fairly as possible so…)
It’s also much easier to fix yourself now if you do have problems. Every new phone comes with a mini screwdriver and iFixit provide really easy to follow ways of replacing parts (their app always seems to glitch for me, that’s iFixit not Fairphone, but you can still follow their instructions on their website). The spare parts you can buy through Fairphone webstore. I’ve actually quite enjoyed being able to fix my phone myself!!
Let me know if you have any specific questions and I’ll try to answer.
Deanna
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Just in case:
Hi Deanna,
that’s good news, that shipping method with SkyPax, that is an UK-based service.
Could be useful for everyone, when the seller won’t ship to an international adresss, but will ship to the UK.
Never heard of such a service before.
Do you happen to know, if they would ship batteries that way as well? Any experience?
Shipping costs seem quite expensive, as you have to pay in addition 12 GBP for a standard membership (though once only, if I got it right).
Otherwise, there is always vireo.de, that do international shipping.
Hi Bert,
I’m not sure about batteries on their own. But we’ve ordered new phones that come with the battery and haven’t had any problems.
I’m pretty sure I got a free membership, not sure if that’s still available.
Yes it does cost a bit too forward it on so you’d have to consider of your and and willing to afford that when needed.
It’s always helpful if you know others with Fairphone and can share the costs.
Cheers
Deanna
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Hi Deanna,
Did the folks at FP ever explain why they do not distribute in Australia?
Regards
Gareth
Hi Gareth,
Ummm I’m not sure. I think their long term plan is international distribution but they really are still a young business and I guess it’s hard to break into those markets? Not really sure sorry.
Randomly a friend just bought a FP3+ but now doesn’t need it (for reasons not worth explaining here!!) If you’d like to buy off her let me know and we’ll work out how to get in touch.
Deanna
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