The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has issued an Industry Advice Notice giving every airline that lands in Australia a blunt ultimatum: from 12 December only the latest approved two-minute ‘incoming traveller’ announcement may be played before descent, or carriers risk infringement notices and even prosecution under section 220 of the Biosecurity Act 2015. The clamp-down follows audits that found some operators had quietly reverted to outdated clips as aircraft rotated back from storage or onto new routes.
The video reminds passengers what food, plant and animal products must be declared or binned and highlights on-the-spot fines of up to A$6,260 for false declarations. DAFF says inconsistent messaging undermines Australia’s fabled pest-control regime, especially as holiday traffic surges. Airlines now have to audit their entire fleets, load the correct file into every in-flight entertainment system and brief crew as well as wet-lease and charter partners.
Whether you’re an airline, corporate travel manager or an individual flyer, VisaHQ can streamline the broader compliance puzzle by consolidating visa, eTA and entry-requirement checks for Australia in one dashboard, helping ensure that biosecurity declarations and other entry forms are completed accurately before landing. Explore the service at https://www.visahq.com/australia/.
![Canberra Warns Airlines: Play the Correct Biosecurity Video or Pay the Price]()
For corporate travel managers the notice is more than bureaucratic housekeeping. If an airline is found non-compliant, aircraft clearance can be delayed, jeopardising tight connection windows at Sydney and Melbourne during peak season. Organisations booking charters for fly-in-fly-out operations or incentive groups are urged to secure written confirmation that the authorised announcement is installed.
The move dovetails with broader digitisation of Australia’s border, including electronic incoming-passenger cards and expansion of SmartGate facial-recognition kiosks to all e-passport holders. Mobility teams should remind travellers that biosecurity infringement notices are issued individually; a group itinerary will not protect a negligent employee from fines—or the potential reputational damage of being refused entry.
Practical tips: add the Industry Advice Notice to airline RFP checklists, update traveller briefings to emphasise strict declaration rules and ensure travel-approval workflows capture carriage of food samples or soil-contaminated equipment that may need inspection on arrival.
The video reminds passengers what food, plant and animal products must be declared or binned and highlights on-the-spot fines of up to A$6,260 for false declarations. DAFF says inconsistent messaging undermines Australia’s fabled pest-control regime, especially as holiday traffic surges. Airlines now have to audit their entire fleets, load the correct file into every in-flight entertainment system and brief crew as well as wet-lease and charter partners.
Whether you’re an airline, corporate travel manager or an individual flyer, VisaHQ can streamline the broader compliance puzzle by consolidating visa, eTA and entry-requirement checks for Australia in one dashboard, helping ensure that biosecurity declarations and other entry forms are completed accurately before landing. Explore the service at https://www.visahq.com/australia/.
For corporate travel managers the notice is more than bureaucratic housekeeping. If an airline is found non-compliant, aircraft clearance can be delayed, jeopardising tight connection windows at Sydney and Melbourne during peak season. Organisations booking charters for fly-in-fly-out operations or incentive groups are urged to secure written confirmation that the authorised announcement is installed.
The move dovetails with broader digitisation of Australia’s border, including electronic incoming-passenger cards and expansion of SmartGate facial-recognition kiosks to all e-passport holders. Mobility teams should remind travellers that biosecurity infringement notices are issued individually; a group itinerary will not protect a negligent employee from fines—or the potential reputational damage of being refused entry.
Practical tips: add the Industry Advice Notice to airline RFP checklists, update traveller briefings to emphasise strict declaration rules and ensure travel-approval workflows capture carriage of food samples or soil-contaminated equipment that may need inspection on arrival.
