Australia Tightens Security at International Borders
20/05/2008 by Charlotte Norman
Australia's international airports and seaports are now operating with new technology, which has been put in place in the hope of strengthening the countries border security.
The Department for Immigration and Citizenship has introduced a new border security portal nationwide with the hope of giving airport inspectors data regarding passengers information prior to their arrival in Australia.
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship who is ultimately responsible for maintaining Australia's visa entry regime has installed the new portal system with the aim of clearing low risk passengers, which have the correct documentation a lot quicker. The portal should therefore allow inspectors more time to assess those people of a greater concern.
Minister for the department, Senator Chris Evans said "Previously, inspectors needed to check multiple systems and sources of information to gain a full picture of a passenger's circumstances. The new portal gathers information from several separate systems currently accessed by border security staff."
When a person attempts to enter the country, immigration officials will be able to assess their status by viewing their travel history, travel documentation, contact information, known aliases, as well as the status of any security checks.
The portal will act as a centre for all of the gathered information, allowing it to quickly get cross-referenced and examined thoroughly. Under the previous system this was a process which many deemed as being laborious and time consuming, often prompting greater room for error.
Liam Clifford of Global Visas supports the new technology saying that "with passenger arrivals increasing at a rapid pace, it's great news that Australia have decided to refresh border technology in order to deal with the numbers and without compromising the countries security."
The implementation of this revolutionary portal is part of a $2.5 million transformation program being administered by the Department. With Australian immigration on the rise and the country seeking skilled workers in order to ease sector shortages the department are actively seeking ways of accommodating the growing influx.
Using cutting-edge technology the portal will also aid in managing the growth of visitor numbers whilst providing travelers coming to Australia with an exceptional service.
Australia's migration laws and regulations set the criteria and standards that foreign nationals must meet if they wish to travel to and remain in Australia for a period of time.
Immigration laws in Australia require that all visitors who are not Australian citizens must obtain authority, in the form of a visa in order to travel to and stay in the country.
Figures show an average of 1,500 people being refused immigration clearance at the border each year, positively highlighting the need for the improved security measures.
Evans further adds that "this new technology will provide border security staff faster access to a wider range of information to ensure people arriving in Australia have legal travel documents and pose no risk to our security."
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