A threat to impose a fee for consular support after Australian activist Colin Russell was detained in Russia has opened the prospect of broader charges for government support of thousands of Australians who find themselves in trouble overseas.

On Friday foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop said the activities of the Australian government on behalf of Mr Russell had cost tens of thousands of dollars, and she would look very closely at recovering the costs.

"Of course cost recovery can be an important part of providing consular support," she said.

In News Ltd papers on Saturday Ms Bishop was reported to have outlined a review of fees for cost recovery of consular activities for Australians in trouble overseas, and the circumstances in which those fees could be levied.

Mr Russell was one of 30 Greenpeace activists arrested and detained in September when some of the group tried to scale a Russian oil rig operated by Moscow-based energy company Gazprom in the Pechora Sea.