Borders breached (17-3-06)

Letter to the Editor - Herald Sun
17 March 2006

Dear Sir/Madam

Your article Borders breached (17-3-06) overlooks the fact that Advance Passenger Processing is just one of a number of layers in Australia’s border management systems.

It is wrong to say some people are arriving in Australia without being screened.

Under Australia’s universal visa system, people travelling to Australia are required to have authority to come to, and enter, Australia. During this process, people are checked against the Movement Alert List. Airline liaison officers perform checks at regional hubs and then people are screened again on arrival at the border.

The APP check, which is currently performed on about 99 per cent of travellers, provides information to enable pre-screening before they arrive at our border. It is additional to checking already performed.

Australia is the only country in the world that is able to deliver such a comprehensive checking regime.

Sandi Logan
National Communications Manager
Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs