Australia’s incoming passenger cards to get the chop

Passengers arriving in Australia from overseas will soon be required to complete a more efficient and detailed ‘Digital Passenger Declaration’ (DPD).

The Department of Home Affairs announced the change to the current system on Saturday, with the transition from paper to digital seen as a critical step in Australia’s journey towards reopening to internationals.

The new DPD will be completed by all arrivals to Australia using their mobile or computer.

Acting Minister for Immigration Alan Tudge said the DPP will facilitate information being collected and shared more efficiently while still using the same authority as its predecessor for collection.

“This new capability will strip away the need to scan paper cards. It will facilitate data sharing between state and territory health departments and enable swift verification of information provided by passengers,” Tudge said in a statement.

Importantly, the DPP will also allow certified COVID-19 vaccination certificates to be digitally uploaded and connected if, and when, they become available.

Home Affairs will also develop a “simple” digital visa product to test the integration capabilities of the system. It is envisaged that other visas would be progressively digitised on the new system, making them easier to access, more secure and have greater integrity.

A new underlying digital platform will also reportedly be built to support these initial applications as a reusable, whole-of-government permissions capability.

This will be built in the same manner the Australian government is developing a single entitlements platform that supports multiple departments.

This new permissions platform will then enable further digitisation and simplification of how people access services across government, such as permits, accreditations, licences and registrations, according to Home Affairs.

Featured image source: Facebook/Australian Border Force