An international visitor carrying eggs, a humidifier and a battery pack has had their visa cancelled, refused entry into Australia for a serious breach of our biosecurity laws.
It takes the total number of visa cancellations to 11 since October 2019, under the new biosecurity-related visa cancellation ground.
Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud, said the 40 year-old Chinese national travelling from Taiwan to Brisbane failed to declare five exotic bird eggs intended for hatching.
“These eggs could have posed a real disease risk to Australian birds, with the potential for diseases to jump species to other native bird populations,” Minister Littleproud said.
“Illegally imported bird eggs can transmit diseases and threaten Australia’s multibillion dollar poultry industries, including avian influenza and Newcastle disease.
“As a result this visitor’s visa has been cancelled and he is ineligible to apply for another for 3 years.
“It is disappointing that some travellers are still not heeding warnings and continue to bring biosecurity risk items with them despite clear warnings about the serious risks to Australia’s economy and environment.
“This passenger contravened the Biosecurity Act 2015 by knowingly failing to declare the eggs on their incoming passenger card.
“The punishment must fit the crime and that’s why we introduced tough legislation to allow Australian Border Force officials to cancel visitor visas when a passenger commits a serious biosecurity breach.
“Our government since last year has stepped up border inspections and allocated $66.6 million for new technology, more biosecurity staff and detector dogs.
“Australia is lucky to be free from many of the world’s most damaging animal diseases and plant pests that could have a significant environmental and economic impact if they arrived here.
“Threats to breach our border can come from international passengers bringing in risk items and failing to declare them, and authorities will not stand for it.
“This government is serious about biosecurity and we will keep working to ensure the risk control measures we have in place safeguard Australia from potentially devastating pests and diseases now and into the future.”
