Saffin had met East Timorese foreign minister José Ramos-Horta a number of times as an MP, and in 2004, having left politics, she moved to East Timor to take up a position as Ramos-Horta's chief political and legal advisor. She served in the role for three years assisting in the rebuilding of the country, staying with Ramos-Horta through his election first to Prime Minister and then President in 2007. She resigned in early 2007, choosing to return to Australia for "family reasons" and contest preselection for the National Party held federal seat of Page, based around her home town of Lismore. She faced a difficult preselection contest against right faction candidate and local mayor Ian Tiley, but emerged successful.