Actress Navya Nair fined Rs 1.14 lakh at Melbourne Airport for carrying gajra: Why Australia has such rigid rules?

Mollywood actress Navya Nair was fined a substantial penalty of Rs 1.14 lakh (1,980 Australian dollars) for carrying a fresh jasmine gajra which was later confiscated at the Melbourne International Airport under Australia's Biosecurity Act.

Navya Nair is a prominent Malayalam actress, who was found carrying a 15-centimeter string of gajra without declaring it on the incoming passenger card (IPC).

She was on her way to attend Onam celebration organised by the Malayali Association in Victoria.

Why so rigid rules?

Australia, is an island nation that is known for its unique plants, animals and ecosystem. As it is isolated, pests and disease that exists elsewhere in the world cannot be found in Australia.

According to Australia's Biosecurity Act, introducing even small amounts of foreign material could damage local crops, spread plant diseases, or threaten native species.

Items to be declared in the Incoming Passenger Card (IPC):

Apart from the prohibited or restricted goods including medicines, steroids, illegal pornography, firearm weapons or illicit drugs, when entering Australia from overseas, you must declare if you are carrying any of the items in this list, as mentioned on the Tourism Australia website:

• Goods purchased overseas or duty/tax free in Australia with a combined total price of more than AUD $900 per adult (18 years or over); AUD $450 per child. This includes items purchased as gifts.

• Alcohol: Up to 2.25 litres (0.5 imperial gallons or 0.59 US gallons) of alcoholic beverages (liquor, wine and Champagne) per adult.

• Tobacco: 25 cigarettes or the equivalent of 25 grams (0.88 ounces) of smokeless tobacco products per adult.

• Goods or product samples for business or commercial use.

• AUD$10,000 or more in Australian or foreign currency equivalent.

• Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, fruit, vegetables.

• Plants or parts of plants, including grains, seeds, nuts, bulbs, straw, wood, and traditional herbs or medicines.

• Animals, or animal products including pet food, specimens, birds, fish, insects, shells, and bee products.

• Soil, items with soil attached or used in freshwater areas e.g. sports/recreational equipment, shoes.

How Biosecurity Act works in Australia?

The items brought with the passenger has to be declared in the Incoming Passenger Card and a Australian Border Force (ABF) officer or a Department of Agriculture biosecurity officer checks your luggage.

The declared items in arrival cards are only allowed in terms of certified , treated or approved.

In the case of Navya Nair, the Jasmine gajral should get special clearence from the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources and has to be declared in the IPC. But Fresh flowers are mostly confiscated as they can carry pests, diseases or soil organisms harmful to Australian agriculture, even dried flowers too.

What if you failed to declare the items?

The ignorance of rules would lead to thousands of dollars on the spot.

From April 17, 2019, new rules state that if a visitor fails to declare anything that cannot be imported, the officers at immigration clearance points may shorten or cancel their visa.

ABF says the people found guilty of not following these rules may be prevented from returning to Australia for three years.

One of the historical disastrous reason include the 1935's cane toad's introduction in Australia, as the import of toads led to the toad becoming a major invasive species, causing severe ecological damage by poisoning native predators and altering the country's ecosystems.