When your office is the Indo-Pacific, strategy, collaboration and partnership are critical for the security of the region. Last week, the Australian Border Force hosted the Working Level Meeting for the 2025 Heads of Asian Coast Guards Meeting (HACGAM) in Sydney. HACGAM is a high-profile and prestigious international forum for maritime security agencies in the Indo-Pacific region to engage and work closely together to address a rapidly changing maritime landscape, as well as emerging trends and threats. It also provides an opportunity for nations to work together to identify solutions to maritime challenges so that countries can develop coordinated responses and be better positioned to address the identified issues in the Asian region in a range of areas including: 🚢 Maritime terrorism 🚢 Piracy 🚢 Armed robbery at sea 🚢 People smuggling 🚢 Transnational crime 🚢 Disaster prevention HACGAM allows for collaboration, co-design and co-investment in initiatives to secure maritime waters across the Indo-Pacific region. The ABF’s hosting of HACGAM shows its commitment in fostering regional dialogue and practical cooperation to address civil maritime and security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. This year's HACGAM coincides with the 10th anniversary of Australia being admitted to HACGAM as a member nation, and the first time Australia has hosted the event. HACGAM is just one part of the ABF’s broader long-term, consistent and collaborative program of engagement with its civil maritime security agency counterparts. For more information about this year’s meeting, visit: abf.gov.au/hacgam2025. #HACGAM2025 📸 Credit: Flashpoint Labs

The Australian Border Force is working with @nswpolice to locate an immigration detainee involved in an incident last night. ABF can confirm the detainee was in transit at the time. The two individuals assisting were treated at the scene for minor injuries and taken to hospital as a precaution. If you see the individual, please do not approach them and contact either Granville Police or call Triple Zero (000).

The Government is now operating in accordance with caretaker conventions, pending the outcome of the 2025 federal election. Comments have been disabled for this period. For more information please visit: pmc.gov.au/res.../guidance-c…

The Australian Border Force has been working to restore a technical outage impacting both inbound and outbound passengers at international airports nationwide this morning (Friday 8 November 2024). As of midday AEDT, the issue has been resolved at all airports and all systems are back online. The cause of the technical issue remains under investigation. We wish to thank travellers for their patience during this incident.

The Australian Border Force is aware of a technical outage impacting SmartGate kiosks for outbound and inbound passengers at international airports nationwide today (Friday 8 November 2024). Additional ABF officers are being surged into work areas to manually process passengers and provide as minimal disruption as possible. The issue is currently being rectified and systems are slowly returning online. We appreciate traveller’s patience as we continue to work through the issue.

Notification to passengers arriving in Australia related to the 3G mobile networks. In Australia, the 3G mobile networks will be turned off from Monday, 28 October 2024. For more information, visit: infrastructure.gov.au/media-…

Ahead of his retirement from ABF next month, Commissioner Michael Outram has the privilege of delivering his valedictory speech at @PressClubAust on Wednesday 16 October 2024. Tickets are available for members and their guests: npc.org.au/speaker/2024/1381… or watch live on TV from 12.30pm.

🚨 SCAM ALERT! 🚨 The Australian Border Force has received reports of scammers calling people from what appears to be ABF Regional Office numbers. We’ve been told residents from around the country have received calls and a regional office phone number was displayed as the caller ID. Multiple regional offices around the country have been impacted. These scams use technology to make it appear that the calls originate from a legitimate phone number. This is known as ID phone spoofing or web-based ID spoofing. The caller impersonates an ABF officer and attempts to gather personal information or request payment. One example is that the caller stated that the person receiving a call has parcel from overseas, and it has been delivered to a previous address. Another example involved the caller stating that the person receiving the call has a parcel from overseas, however an illicit substance was detected in the parcel. If you get an unexpected call from someone who states they’re from the ABF and is asking your personal details and/or making threats to you, please hang up immediately. Australia Post is the carrier of international mail and has sole responsibility for delivery of postal articles. If you are expecting a parcel, you should contact Australia Post on 13 13 18. To find more information about scams in general or impersonation scams, or to find out ways to protect yourself, visit scamwatch.com.au You can also visit cyber.gov.au/protect-yoursel… for more information about cybersecurity and reporting cybercrime.

🚨 SCAM ALERT! 🚨 The Australian Border Force has received reports of scammers calling people from what appears to be an ABF Regional Office number from Weipa, Queensland. These scams use technology to make it appear that the calls originate from a legitimate phone number. This is known as ID phone spoofing or web-based ID spoofing. The caller impersonates an ABF officer and attempts to gather personal information. In one example, the caller stated that the person receiving the call has a parcel from overseas and it has been delivered to a previous address. If you receive an unexpected call from someone who states that they’re from the ABF and is asking your personal details and/or making threats to you, please hang up immediately. Australia Post is the carrier of international mail and has sole responsibility for delivery of postal articles. If you are expecting a parcel, you should contact Australia Post on 13 13 18. To find more information about scams in general or impersonation scams, or to find out ways to protect yourself, visit scamwatch.com.au You can also visit cyber.gov.au/protect-yoursel… for more information about cybersecurity and reporting cybercrime.

The ABF, along with our partners, are committed to disrupting the illegal tobacco trade and dismantling organised crime syndicates. With an estimated excise value of $5.2 million, seizures like these damage criminal networks while keeping the young people in our community safe.

Australian Border Force and Australian Defence Force air, land and surface assets under the direction of Maritime Border Command continue to patrol Australia’s North West Coastline, particularly in the waters of the Kimberley Marine Park off Western Australia. In recent months, Maritime Border Command has seen an unprecedented amount of illegal foreign fishers in these waters, and is committed to detecting and responding to illegal activity in this area. Maritime Border Command continues to seize illegal catch, equipment and vessels to reduce to disrupt money flows to transnational crime syndicates, and protect Australia’s marine ecosystems. Through a co-operative partnership with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority and @DefenceAust, the ABF continues to ensure that those illegally fishing in Australian waters WILL be caught. Read more about MBC on our website: abf.gov.au/about-us/what-we-… To read more about Australia’s approach to fisheries management visit: afma.gov.au #KeepOurBorderSafe #MaritimeBorderProtection #KMP #iuufishing #illegalfishing #fisheriesmanagement #poachersbeware #LEEDSTRUM

Who ordered an almond milk double decaf latte with…….. meth? ☕️😱 Two Sydney men were charged last week with allegedly importing more than 90kg of methamphetamine hidden in an industrial coffee grinder. ABF officers discovered the meth after the coffee grinder arrived on a commercial flight from Hong Kong at Brisbane International Airport. It was referred to @AusFedPolice who replaced the meth with a harmless substance before it was sent for collection to a Cabramatta residence. The men are facing sentences of life imprisonment, and a significant quantity of this drug has been prevented from causing untold harm in our community. We say well done to the officers who found the concealment, you have well and truly earned your morning coffee! Read more: abf.gov.au/newsroom-subsite/…

Not for personal use. In recent months HMAS Broome, under the direction of Maritime Border Command (MBC) and in partnership with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, intercepted two foreign fishing vessels. Over 2.5 tonne of trepang and 10kg shark fin was seized from two vessels, which were caught illegally fishing in the Kimberley Marine Park. The illegal foreign fishers had their catch seized and were directed to leave Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Illegally operators fishing in Australian waters can expect to be caught and have catch and fishing equipment seized. Read more about MBC on our website: abf.gov.au/about-us/what-we-… To read more about Australia’s approach to fisheries management visit: afma.gov.au/ #KMP #OpPalisade #KeepOurBorderSafe #MaritimeBorderProtection #iuufishing #illegalfishing #fisheriesmanagement #poachersbeware

Great exchange of views with @immigPH Philippines Bureau of Immigration, Commissioner Norman G. Tansingco and delegation, on 🇵🇭 & 🇦🇺 efforts to #endhumantrafficking with @agdgovau @ACCCE_AUS, Home Affairs and @AusBorderForce.

In January, the ABF Detector Dog Program (DDP) was proud to be joined by members of the Japan Customs Canine Program ( @Custom_kun ), who visited to select the most recent detector dog candidates for their customs service. Japanese Customs Canine Unit officers have put ABF-bred dogs through their paces, and with the support of the ABF Acting Supervisor Juvenile Development, are confident they are getting the very best dogs available for detection work. The partnership with the Japan Customs Canine Program began in 2000, with two detector dog teams being trained in Australia. Over the years, the ABF's DDP has shared information and expertise in various aspects of detector dog development, training and operations. Since 2014, the DDP has provided dozens of candidate dogs to Japan Customs. The Australian Border Force and Japan Customs have forged a strong relationship over many years, and we are looking forward to continuing to further our cooperation. Want to learn more about the ABF's Detector Dog Program? Visit: abf.gov.au/about-us/what-we-…

Importing illicit drugs into Australia ain’t no game! 🎲 Three men are beginning to realise this after being sentenced to more than seven years imprisonment each in December in a Perth court, pleading guilty to attempting to import methamphetamine hidden in a backgammon board game posted through international mail. In September 2020, ABF officers found just under a kilo of meth hidden in false compartments in the game and immediately referred the detection to our partners at the @AusFedPolice, who substituted the drug with a harmless substance to follow the delivery to the men. ABF officers play a vital frontline role at the border in protecting the community from meth no matter how criminals attempt to conceal it. Nobody wins when these harmful drugs hit our streets. Read more here: abf.gov.au/newsroom-subsite/…