If you’re travelling overseas this holiday season you may see our social media or advertisements raising awareness about protecting Australia from biosecurity threats.
The holiday season is the busiest time of year at Australia’s airports, so we have enhanced awareness activities aimed at travellers arriving in Australia from overseas. We are reminding them about what risk items they can’t bring into Australia and the consequences for non-compliance at our international border. This builds on our previous messaging about foot-and-mouth disease and travelling to Australia.
Biosecurity is a shared responsibility. We all have a part to play to protect Australia’s economy, environment, industries and communities from harmful pests, diseases and weeds.
Remember if you’re travelling this holiday period, make sure you don’t bring food, plant material (including wooden articles) and animal products to Australia or if you’re unsure, just declare it.
If you provide false or misleading information to a biosecurity officer or on your Incoming Passenger Card, or if you fail to answer questions about the goods or comply with directions given by a biosecurity officer, you may be:
- issued with an infringement notice of up to $6,260
- subject to civil penalty proceedings, and/or
- prosecuted for a criminal offence.
If you see our social media posts, share them with your family and friends to help us protect Australia and our unique way of life.
