Heavy court fines for quarantine breaches

An international student and a first-time traveller have both learned an expensive lesson: — trying to break Australia’s tough quarantine rules doesn’t pay.

The two cases, heard in the Brisbane Magistrates Court last Friday, resulted in fines totalling more than $14,000 for Quarantine and Customs breaches at Brisbane International Airport. The travellers also now have criminal records.

In the first case, a university student who has been studying in Australia for three years tried to smuggle 1.5 kilograms of sausages from China after a trip home to visit his family. 

Quarantine officers discovered the sausages in his suitcase during X-ray inspection.

Sausages could carry animal diseases such as foot and mouth into Australia — and could potentially devastate our native animals and our agriculture and export industries.

It’s been estimated that an outbreak of foot and mouth disease would cost $450 million in control measures, and would cause a $13 billion loss to Australia’s export earnings. 

According to AQIS Brisbane Airport manager Andrew Christie, this was the fourth time the student had entered Australia and there’s no excuse for not declaring goods to Quarantine.

“There are plenty of warnings on board the aircraft and in the airport terminal to remind passengers that they must declare their goods, including all kinds of food,” Andrew said.

The second passenger, a 52-year-old woman visiting relatives in Australia, brought in a range of goods, also from China. Quarantine officers found the items including a live bamboo plant, apples and chicken meat, when her bags went through X-ray inspection.

The goods could have brought with them insect pests, a range of plant diseases and bird flu, putting at risk Australia’s $30 billion-a-year agriculture export industries as well as our wildlife and environment.

Andrew says heavy fines like these are a pointed message to all travellers that Australia takes Quarantine very seriously.

“If you don’t declare, you’ll be caught and you’ll pay a heavy penalty,” Andrew says. “In issuing the penalties on Friday, the magistrate pointed out that the court needs to show that these sorts of offences simply won’t be tolerated.”

Media inquiries: Jacinda Geritz DAFF Media +61 2 6272 3232