Commonwealth Numbered Regulations - Explanatory Statements

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PASSPORTS REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) 1998 NO. 42

Statutory Rules 1998 No. 42

Issued by the authority of the Minister for Foreign Affairs

Passports Act 1938

Passports Regulations (Amendment)

These Regulations amend the Passports Regulations to enable information contained in Australian issued travel identity documents to be provided to the New Zealand Customs Service to facilitate the processing, whilst in transit, of New Zealand inbound passengers.

Regulation 1 is a declaratory provision.

Regulation 2 inserts a new regulation 12 into the Regulations.

New subregulation 12(1) provides that the Minister may give the Comptroller of the New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS) the information specified in new subregulation 12(2) to allow the NZCS to check Australian issued travel documents to control passenger movement into New Zealand. New subregulation 12(1) further provides that the relevant travel documents are Australian passports, convention travel documents and certificates and documents of identity.

New subregulation 12(2) sets out the information which the Minister may give to the Comptroller of the NZCS in respect of Australian issued travel documents.

New subregulation 12(3) provides that the Minister may not give to the Comptroller of the NZCS the information set out in new subregulation 12(2) unless the Minister has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Comptroller that deals with the security of the information disclosed to the NZCS, sets out how the information will be provided and what information will be provided, limits the use of such information to checking Australian issued travel documents for the purpose of controlling passenger movement into New Zealand and provides that the information may not be passed to another person.

New subregulation 12(4) provides for similar arrangements with any successor body to the NZCS which may become responsible for checking travel documents to control passenger movement into New Zealand.

The Regulations commence on gazettal.