The Hon Tony Burke MP

Arrivals cards replaced with digital method, Roll out to take place from today, System to be easier, safer and more secure MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS, TONY BURKE: Okay, thanks everyone for coming out here to Sydney Airport. I'm Tony Burke, the Minister for Home Affairs, and I'm joined today by Julie Collins, the Minister for Agriculture. Also with us here today we have Simon Westaway from the Airports Association, we have Margy Osmond from the Tourism and Transport task force, and we have Scott Charlton from Sydney Airport itself, and also from Border Force, Rose Cracknell.

So we'll all say a few things, and we'll be available for questions at the end. If there are questions that are not about today's announcement, if we can leave them to the end just so that I can let the airport people go to one side if we're wanting to ask about other issues as well. You've all seen these and had moments at the end of a flight where people are scrambling for a pen, trying to remember the phone number of their next of kin, or when you're travelling somewhere else and you have no idea what the address of the hotel is where you're meant to be staying.

This is all unnecessary and finally with today's announcement, we're going to see the end of them. We've had a trial now going for a few months, quite a few months, a couple of years now really, that Qantas have participated with where we've started to use digital methods of people up to 72 hours before they board the flight being able to fill out electronically the arrivals card.

It's better for them; it stops that stress at the end of a flight. It also stops us from having to then interpret someone's handwriting when we need to be able to get hold of them, it makes it easier to search. It works.

And it's been working, first for people coming on Qantas flights from New Zealand, gradually we've expanded it to a series of flights across the East Coast, and today we announce we are now in the process of rolling it out nationally. Those arrival cards are now on their way out. Not before time.

But what it guarantees is when someone lands here at the airport, we don't want them standing in queues, we want them out enjoying the best country in the world as soon as they can, and that's now going to be possible. JULIE COLLINS: Thanks, Minister Burke. I'm Julie Collins, I am the Federal Minister for Agriculture, and this is terrific in terms of Australia's biosecurity.

As a government, we will never compromise on our biosecurity, and we've invested an additional $2 billion in our biosecurity since coming to office. What this information coming electronically will mean is that we're able to get more information, but importantly we're also able to be dynamic and adapt to challenging and changing biosecurity needs. So if there's an additional question or more information we're able to update that really quickly without having to reprint these traveller declaration cards.

So these are really important. They will strengthen Australia's biosecurity system, but not compromise it, and improve it and make sure that it's as dynamic as it can be and able to change and adapt to any biosecurity threats. Thanks.

SIMON WESTAWAY: Hi everyone, Simon Westaway, I'm the Chief Executive of the Australian Airports Association. This is such a great day. The legacy around this document will soon end and hopefully for posterity it may end up in a museum at some point.

But what's really positive about this and the airports are absolutely ecstatic about today's announcement, we're lockstep with the Government around the opportunity to work with them as we move towards a completely seamless border, ultimately a biometric border, but we had to make that first important step in the journey and that is to have a timeline to remove the card.

Why it's important is because of the capital costs for our airports to deal with the growth. We currently have 45 million flyers internationally a year, both ourselves and our wonderful visitors that come to this great country every year. That will grow to 86 million trips a year by the year 2040.

The international marketplace is critical; it's one of our export sectors. There are so many reasons why this is a good announcement, and importantly this is now the trigger from investment in terms of the new terminals that are coming to accommodate the growth, but also in terms of having the absolute best in technology to ensure enhanced security, to deal with that biosecurity issue, but at the same time also to continue to be the welcoming country that we know we are.

Thank you. MARGY OSMOND: Good morning, everybody, Margy Osmond from the Tourism and Transport Forum. Well, today is the day we say goodbye to this card and look forward to saying hello to an even more stunning experience for travellers coming into Australia, and for Australian families coming home.

It will be easier, it will be safer, it will be more secure, and it's the first important step in the creation of a modern seamless border that will be the envy of the world when it's in place. I'd like to congratulate and thank the Government for hearing industry and understanding and embracing just how critically important this is. And while this is a wonderful outcome for travellers and for the industry as a whole, I would have to say it is also an outstanding example of what is possible when industry and government work together.

So, goodbye to the card and welcome to a whole new world of travel for Australians and visitors to this country. SCOTT CHARLTON: Good morning, everyone, Scott Charlton, CEO of the Sydney Airport. So we'd like to first of all thank Minister Burke and Minister Collins for allowing Sydney Airport to host this announcement this morning.

It is a very important announcement, not only for the industry but for all the airports. We expect international passengers to more than double over the next 20 years and it's very important that they have that first great experience, but not only that, it provides better security and we'll be able to have more efficient facilities and that will help keep prices down for the travelling public as well.

So for us everyone wins in this announcement, and we're very excited and we've been working very closely with Border Force and the Department over the last few years to increase and improve the efficiency of the borders. So I want to thank Border Force as well, Rosie and your team, for everything that you've done to help make the experience great at Sydney Airport, and we're glad everyone's been able to come out here this morning.

Thank you, Minister. Thank you. We've got a lot of people.

I might just start if there's questions over here and then we'll just go across. Nothing? Yes.

JOURNALIST: What happens to people that don't have [indistinct] to be able to fill it out? Oh, people can do it right up until when they get here. It's just from 72 hours before you've got that opportunity.

So, you know, some people what we've found with the trials is they wait until they get to the airport. Some people don't do it until they land. But for everybody now it means it's up to you, you've got plenty of time to be able to do it.

It also means some of the things to check, it means you're less likely to try to bring things here that you shouldn't as well, because you've actually had the questionnaire beforehand. So there's a lot of advantages, as Julie Collins said, you've got the big advantage of it being dynamic, if we need to change something and add an extra question, it can be done really simply and, you know, there'll always be the person who doesn't own a phone where they've got to get assistance when they arrive, but you've narrowed that right down and it's much more effective.

Even just not having to decipher people's handwriting is a plus. JOURNALIST: Minister, [indistinct]. Are we going to have [indistinct]?

Oh there'll be plenty of back‑ups in the system. I can't imagine it would be very often that we need to use paper in the back‑up or anything like that. But certainly the biggest error that is built into the system now is handwriting.

The biggest error right now is if we need information quickly, say we need to know someone's next of kin, we need someone's address, we're going off to a warehouse going through boxes to find the right card in the hope that the handwriting will be legible. That's the world right now. So if occasionally there's complexity with IT, I'd rather be in that world than where we've been since 1948.

You know, we have used this system, it started before decimal currency. Now that's what we're talking about. It's not before time we're moving on.

Anything else? Yes. JOURNALIST: Do you support the Islamophobia ‑‑ Okay, right now?

For yourselves. It's just not fair to them to be on other issues. JOURNALIST: At this point, the Islamophobia it has caused [indistinct] terrorists [indistinct] should stop using ideological labels and attacking [indistinct].

Is it something you would consider? Yeah, look, the definitions of terrorism are used, and they tend to be international, we tend to work pretty cooperatively, particularly with our Five Eyes partners in how we work through those principles. That report's been given to government.

There will be a formal response but certainly at the moment the definitions we're using are global definitions where it interacts very well with the different partners that we have. JOURNALIST: On that last [indistinct]? That's not for me to determine.

Yeah, that's not for me to determine. I'm not there acting as her agent and certainly if she doesn't return to Australia I don't think Australians would be troubled by that. I'm sorry, I'll just wait for that.

I apologise. Okay, I've got you. JOURNALIST: [Indistinct].

Oh, I won't go into the work of our agencies. You should always work on the basis of anyone where they've been involved in the sorts of actions that we're talking about here, our agencies never stop collecting information. The hardest group, you know, one of the hardest groups to manage effectively were the 45 fighters who all returned before we came to office, and so our agencies are well‑practised at having to deal with making sure that Australians are safe.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct]? The sorts of conditions that are there are also conditions which, if deemed appropriate by the agencies, a lot of it's available under control orders. There are different ways that different controls can be put in place, but I just take the advice from agencies on that.

They exist in a very limited capacity under the temporary exclusion order legislation, and we've been using that to the limits of what we're legally able to do. JOURNALIST: Yeah, have some of the [indistinct]? To lower the legal threshold?

JOURNALIST: Yes [indistinct]. Oh, you're saying with the temporary exclusion order? JOURNALIST: The reality has been that the threshold, and the threshold really can't be lowered, the High Court has made that pretty clear.

So we've gone right to the edges of what we're legally able to do, and even with that there's only been one occasion where I've been able to have a brief presented to me with the capacity to put in a temporary exclusion order. As soon as that brief came to me I took the opportunity to do it. JOURNALIST: Just on the Envoy, they said that [indistinct]?

Well I've already told you they're definitions that we're using that we're comfortable with. We will ‑ because people can't hear you asking the question, you ask it, and then you got me. So if you want to ‑‑ JOURNALIST: [Indistinct].

Under the definitions of the [indistinct], absolutely, absolutely, that's a definition that I've said that I'm comfortable with the definition of a [indistinct]. We'll have a formal response to the Envoy's report and my priority on anything relating to terrorism legislation, my starting point is what's the best way to keep people safe? Like that's the starting point and the finishing point.

That's my only concern. JOURNALIST: [Indistinct]. There is a Consular assistance line which I'll get it for you.

If you can just get it so that we've given it to camera. But there is a Consular assistance line which family members if concerned should be able to call. Obviously our embassy is engaged in trying to make sure as to whether or not Australians are being caught up in it.

Family members will be concerned if they've got family in the area. But before I finish up I'll just make sure that I've given that phone number to camera. In fact, I've got it now.

The number ‑ it's called the Consular emergency centre in Canberra, and the number is 1300 555 135. That's 1300 555 135. Families who are concerned that one of their loved ones might have been caught up in the fire should engage with that number.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct]. Well certainly we are doing nothing to assist any of them. Our view is citizens of a country are able to return to the country of their citizenship but given what these individuals decided they wanted to join, we will do absolutely nothing.

We will not lift a finger to bring them back or to get them back here. You know, the decision to leave was a decision to basically hate the values of Australia, and so the only reason they're in that circumstance is because of decisions that they have made. JOURNALIST: [Indistinct].

I don't have an update, only to say that most crimes that we deal with are crimes committed within Australia. There are a limited number of things that are crimes internationally if committed by Australian citizens, and the Australian Federal Police never stops collecting information. JOURNALIST: [Indistinct].

I'm not going to get in the way or front-end investigations from the Australian Federal Police. The answer is the Australian Federal Police never stop collecting information. Get the doggies over.

Are they coming? Yep, bring them over. The next one's yours, these are quarantine dogs.

Yep, biosecurity dogs. With the harness we're allowed to talk to them or not? Are we allowed to?

Of course you can. Who have we got here? [Indistinct]. This is [indistinct].

And that's Harvey. Harvey. They're beautiful.

Meat, poultry or fish.