Minister Media Release

SmartGate Swings Open at Gold Coast Airport - 6 April 2010

Joint media release with Brett Raguse MP- Member for Forde

Minister for Home Affairs, Brendan O’Connor, today unveiled SmartGate, the self-processing option for travellers, at Gold Coast International Airport.

Mr O’Connor said the introduction of SmartGate at the Gold Coast Airport represents the Australian Government’s continued commitment to improving passenger facilitation.

"Gold Coast Airport is the fastest growing international airport in Australia and has seen a 67 percent increase in travellers in the last 12 months. The introduction of SmartGate will streamline the passenger clearance process and help Customs and Border Protection to respond to this rapid growth. There is no doubt that SmartGate will become a valuable addition to the Gold Coast Airport" he said.

The introduction of SmartGate at Gold Coast International Airport is part of Customs and Border Protection’s planned rollout of SmartGate at Australian international airports. This financial year, more than 900,000 travellers have chosen to use the SmartGate option at airports across Australia.

Member for Forde, Brett Raguse said SmartGate will provide great benefits to eligible travellers arriving at the Gold Coast Airport.

"The introduction of SmartGate at the Gold Coast Airport will give more travellers than ever before a choice as to how they are processed at the border. It provides a secure and efficient way to clear through passport control and I encourage all eligible travellers to give it a go."

"At the end of the day, this will make it easier for more people to visit our region," he said.

Mr O’Connor said SmartGate is a long-term business solution to assist Customs and Border Protection in processing the growing number of travellers without compromising border protection.

"SmartGate is enhancing Customs and Border Protection’s passenger processing capabilities through the use of cutting-edge technology. The system uses electronic information in the ePassport and face recognition technology to perform the customs and immigration checks," he said.

SmartGate is also available at Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Contact: Brian Humphreys 0438 595 567 or Customs and Border Protection Media (02) 6275 6793