New Passport Act Boosts Security

Tougher penalties and increased powers to combat identity fraud, terrorism and other crimes will apply from next month.

The new Australian Passport Act 2005 comes into force on July 1, ensuring that a modern legal structure underpins Australia’s world-class passports system to help protect the security and prosperity of all Australians.

The new Act boosts penalties for passport fraud, introduces immediate and permanent cancellation of missing passports and imposes an additional fee for replacing lost or stolen passports.

It explicitly allows for passport refusal or cancellation in cases where Australian law enforcement agencies advise my Department that an Australian is likely to engage in, is charged with or has been sentenced for specified crimes including terrorism, child sex tourism, child abduction or people smuggling.

Australian travellers will benefit from the provisions to accommodate emerging passport technologies such as facial biometrics.

Procedures for resolving disputes between parents about their children’s international travel are also clarified. The new Act allows for such disputes to be dealt with by the courts and not by passport officers.

Identity fraud costs Australians more than $1 billion a year. The new Passports Act increases maximum jail terms for passport fraud from two to 10 years and the maximum fines from $5000 to $110,000. These penalties will apply across all indictable offences such as false statements in applications and illegal use of passports.

Of more than one million passports issued each year, over 30,000 are reported lost or stolen by the bearers.

To encourage Australians to protect these valuable documents, an additional fee will be charged for replacing lost or stolen passports - $50 for the first passport lost or stolen, $153 for two and $306 for three or more. The validity of replacement passports will also be reduced once three or more have been lost.

The Australian passport is already regarded as one of the most secure in the world. The Australian Passports Act 2005 will ensure that we maintain this reputation in years to come.

Media inquiries : Ministerial 02 6277 7500, DFAT Media Liaison 02 6261 1555