Officials at Sydney International Airport have used new legislation to cancel a passenger’s visitor visa for the first time because of a serious biosecurity breach.
Minister for Agriculture, Bridget McKenzie, said the cancellation showed that Australia would not tolerate people putting our environment, industries, economy and way of life at risk.
“The biosecurity threats that our country is facing are real and could be devastating for all Australians,” Minister McKenzie said.
“We have significant diseases like African swine fever on our doorstop, and one key pathway for this and other threats to arrive in Australia is by international passengers bringing in risk items.
“The passenger, a 45 year old woman from Vietnam, had her visitor visa cancelled for failing to declare an extensive cache of food concealed in her luggage, including over 4.5 kilos of pork.
“In the midst of what is potentially the biggest animal disease event the world has seen, it beggars belief that someone would deliberately attempt to bring pork meat past our border.
“That act could deal a very heavy blow to our $5.3 billion pork industry, as well as the 36,000 jobs that depend on it in rural and regional communities.
“Each of the items seized could pose a direct threat to our $60 billion agricultural industries. Australian authorities won’t stand for it.”