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How to stay onside with Australian quarantine
19 June 2006
AQIS 20608NESB
Thirty two countries from across the world make up the field for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals. If you are planning on travelling overseas soon, make sure you don’t bring back quarantine problems, landing you with a penalty.
“Australia is free of many pests and diseases that are common overseas, and we want to keep it that way,” said Helen Gannon, National Program Manager Airports, Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS).
Travellers are reminded that AQIS screens all luggage either through inspections, x-ray machines or detector dogs. Anyone not declaring risk items will be caught and could face on-the-spot fines of $220, and for serious breaches up to $66,000 or 10 years in prison.
Meat and dairy products such as sausages, salami, sandwich meat and cheese, flower and vegetable seeds, bulbs, and plant cuttings are all high risk quarantine that must be declared or disposed of before entering Australia.
“You must declare on your incoming passenger card all food, wood and plant material and animal products. But please remember, declaring does not automatically mean the items will be seized, in many cases items will simply be checked and returned to you,” Ms Gannon said.
To find more information about Australian quarantine regulations simply:
- visit www.aqis.gov.au; or
- contact your travel agent for a free copy of the brochures What Can't I Take Into Australia? and What Can’t Be Mailed To Australia? bothavailable in 14 different languages.
For more information contact: (Not for publication)
Rebecca Nuss, AQIS Public Relations 02 6272 3097