The processing is thorough – very thorough – and much slower than most comparable nations,at least those of which I have some experience.
Australian Border ForceMatt Jelonek/Getty Images
Mostly,it’s for good reason. We have some of the toughest biosecurity rules on the planet,something for which all Australians – particularly the cute,little furry ones – can be eternally thankful.
As noble and as necessary as all this is,there is one aspect of the process that surely can be,both literally and figuratively,consigned to the dustbin of history – the Incoming Passenger Card.
Mostly,the IPC serves a good purpose. It asks whether the arriving passenger has in their possession any of the myriad declarable goods,and what countries they had visited – all valid questions.
But there are some others,outside those essential questions,that returning Australian citizens still have to answer to Australian Border Force.
It’s an intrusive legal document,with questions that really should not be asked of Australian citizens. It’s none of ABF’s business where any Australian citizen lays their head,or what they do for a living.
Which brings me to a recent interaction I had at Brisbane Airport.
Having been handed the IPC,with handwriting all but unintelligible to anyone not named Cameron Atfield (and sometimes even to those who are!),the eagle-eyed border officer spotted an important omission from your humble scribe.
“You haven’t filled out an emergency contact,” he politely,but firmly,told me.
“We need your emergency contact.”
Although outgoing passenger cards were scrapped years ago,we still have to fill out these cards on arrival back in the country.Supplied
Why? I ask. I am returning home. My head will be on my own pillow this evening,so you need not concern yourself with my welfare.
After all,I am healthy,young (at least on a cosmic scale) and,as an Australian citizen,there will be no need for any further interaction with ABF. Should I engage in any dangerous activity on the other side of the arrivals hall,Queensland’s emergency services would be there to deal with it.
But no,on this point the border officer,who held my passport in one hand while the other hovered – I assume – above a box of disposable rubber gloves,would not budge.
It’s an argument no arriving passenger can win.
So I filled in my partner’s contact details – someone who would be the first to know if I needed emergency help – and headed off to the baggage carousel.
The questions the ICP requires Australian citizens to answer have more than a hint of government overreach. What concern is it of the ABF whether an Aussie’s overseas adventure was for visiting friends and family,or just a holiday?
An ABF spokesperson insists it’s all necessary.
“The incoming passenger card is a requirement for all passengers,including Australian citizens,to complete and the same card is provided to Australians and foreign nationals,” they said.
“The information is collected on behalf of a number of Australian government agencies and covers a range of matters including immigration,customs,biosecurity and human health.”
Australia is one of the few developed nations in the world still using paper arrivals cards,something that does not make a whole lot of sense in 2024.
Here we are,filling out little forms with ballpoint pens,in spaces so small staying within the lines is all but an impossibility. And it must be filled out in English,which must be a nightmare for tourists from countries to navigate.
An ill-fated Digital Passenger Declaration app,,barely lasted six months before it was.
For now,at least.
“We’ve also listened to feedback about the DPD. While in time it will replace the paper-based incoming passenger card,it needs a lot more work to make it user-friendly,” Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said in 2022.
Wherever this lands,the questioning of Australian citizens needs to be tempered. If nothing else,it would streamline the experience of returning home.
In the meantime,travellers better remember to take a pen on board their flight to Australia. Otherwise,they better be prepared to queue for an ink-deficient pen at the counter along their walk to customs.
