Travellers arriving in Australia will no longer need to complete a digital passenger declaration under changes to come into effect this week. Thank goodness for that.
Border restrictions enforced in response to the pandemic will be dropped this coming week, with arriving passengers no longer required to declare their vaccination status or obtain a travel exemption.
The much-maligned Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) required people entering Australia to provide their contact details as well as declare their vaccination status, where they had been in the past 14 days, and commit to following quarantine and testing requirements.
The good news is that having to complete a DPD will end on Wednesday 6 July.
“While in time it will replace the paper-based incoming passenger card, it needs a lot more work to make it user-friendly,” Ms O’Neil said on Sunday.
Changes to the Biosecurity Act coming into effect on Wednesday were made following advice from Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly that it was no longer necessary for travellers to declare their vaccination status.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said the changes will make it easier for travelling Australians to return home as well as allow more international tourists and workers to come.
It will also reduce delays that have plagued airports since travel resumed, Ms O’Neil said.
For all the details, head to homeaffairs.gov.au