In a city teeming with expats, Emiratis are a minority in Dubai.

Foreign nationals represent close to 90 per cent of the entire United Arab Emirates (UAE) population.

When the war began, an estimated 20,000 Australians were living permanently in Dubai alone.

And despite Foreign Minister Penny Wong's insistence that Australian expats still in the Middle East should book a flight home now, plenty have no plans to leave.

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