Latest news with #SmartGate
9 News
29-05-2025
- Business
- 9 News
New kiosks cut wait times at Sydney International Airport by 10 per cent
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here BREAKING Elon Musk leaves Trump's White House International arrivals are being met with faster processes at Sydney Airport after the installation of eight new SmartGate kiosks cut wait times by 10 per cent. The kiosks are the automated border-control system operated by the Australian Border Force that allows inbound international travellers to check in and verify their identity for a faster arrival. The new kiosks were installed in the international terminal this year and are estimated to process an additional 640 travellers an hour. International arrivals are being met with faster processes at Sydney Airport. (Supplied) According to Sydney Airport, the kiosks have already cut wait times by 10 per cent in the first quarter of this year compared to the last quarter of last year. That left 90 per cent of inbound passengers clearing immigration within 36 minutes. "When a tourist reaches Australia, I want them straight out there enjoying Sydney as soon as they can," Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said. Today's announcement is part of a rollout that will see a further 32 kiosks installed by early next year, doubling the number of kiosks that were previously at the terminal. The new kiosks were installed in the international terminal this year. (Nine) The additional kiosks are hoped to keep up with the increasing number of international travellers, maintain border security and streamline processes for arriving passengers. "The Australian Border Force's priority remains protecting and upholding the nation's border control, and with increased access to technological enhancements, we hope that travellers' experiences will be seamless from gate to gate," Australian Border Force Commander Belinda Conn said. "ABF officers will always be on site to assist travellers through the border clearance process." Upgrades to the security screening at the international terminal are also underway, with seven of the 15 new CT scanning lanes now operational. Sydney Airport Sydney New South Wales national Australia CONTACT US Property News: You can only access this beach shack at low tide.
Sydney Morning Herald
10-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘You are running a clown show': Inside Australia's airport chaos
Cabinet submissions released under FOI also reveal Border Force has been lobbying Labor to deliver more for the ailing system, which has failed to meet any of the targets set by then Border Force commissioner Michael Outram in 2017. Loading 'Investment is needed,' Border Force said in its submission to former home affairs minister Clare O'Neil in July last year. 'Traveller movements will continue to increase in the lead-up to and beyond the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. The pressure on infrastructure will continue to increase.' Melbourne Airport chief of aviation Jim Parashos said the situation had become untenable. He said the airport had the same number of kiosks to process passengers as it had a decade ago. 'During that time, our passenger numbers have increased by more than 50 per cent,' he said. 'The lack of processing capability often leads to unacceptable congestion, crowding and delays for arriving passengers at peak times. The local Border Force team continue to do what they can with the lack of kiosks, but ultimately, we need significantly more kiosks to deliver an appropriate experience for arriving travellers.' Sydney Airport said it was supporting Border Force to improve passport processing by directly buying additional kiosks, which the ABF will operate. The airport has bought an extra 40 kiosks that are set to be installed this year. In February, this masthead revealed only 57 per cent of inbound travellers have been using SmartGates, falling far short of the 90 per cent target set by Outram in 2017. The shortfall has exacerbated delays at airports that have reduced manual processing at the counter. Border Force said the average clearance time for travellers arriving in Australia last year was 72 seconds. But the actual clearance times for all travellers are likely to be much higher. According to the footnotes in the Home Affairs annual report, more than 2 million travellers who used SmartGates and 2.6 million who used manual passport processing were removed from the figure after being classified as 'outliers' because their clearance took more than three minutes. One of the world's busiest airports, Singapore's Changi, has reduced its clearance times to 10 seconds. Travellers and Australians returning home have labelled the SmartGate system an embarrassment, with complaints about hour-long delays, scanners failing to read passport chips, poor signage and inadequate facilities. 'This is the first glimpse of Australia for many travellers, and I am not surprised if they think arriving in Australia is like joining a herd of sheep,' said one complainant in the dossier of grievances received by the department. 'The queues around the scanners were a disorganised bunfight,' said another. In one instance in July, a Qantas captain complained about being herded by Border Force staff. 'I've never seen this behaviour anywhere in the world in 31 years with my airline,' they said. 'It's an utter disgrace and Australia is becoming the laughingstock of the world with huge entry queues,' another traveller said in December 2023. The complaints span almost all of Australia's major international airports, and each month between November 2023 and November 2024. 'The length of time it takes to get through passport control at Brisbane Airport is egregious,' said one traveller in March last year. 'International travellers were discussing in the line how Brisbane Airport was the worst they had experienced across the world, which is just embarrassing.' 'This morning at Sydney airport early, it was just pandemonium! Nobody knew what was going on,' said a resident returning home in May. 'There were Border Force people, shouting at people like animals, trying to get them in some sort of order.' One passenger arriving from Santiago in August described the passport processing system as 'a shambles'. 'A lone 40-something lady was attempting to direct traffic at Stage 1. I feared for her safety,' they said. 'This has been without a doubt the worst immigration experience of my life,' said another traveller in September. 'Last Friday morning, the mess was so horrendous that people were going crazy.' Another passenger who arrived in November said they had 'the great misfortune of arriving at Sydney airport'. 'Never in my history have I seen such long and poorly managed queues for the SmartGates. It is an embarrassment for visitors that this is their first experience of Australia. I don't know what you've done, but maybe you should undo it. Because it's clearly not up to the task.' Australian Airports Association chief executive Simon Westaway warned Australia was falling behind the rest of the world as international traveller numbers surge to record highs. 'International passengers are understandably frustrated when they face delays at major gateways due to outdated or inadequate border facilities,' he said. 'These experiences risk undermining Australia's competitiveness as a global destination.' Australia is one of the few advanced economies that still requires passengers to fill out a paper customs declaration, described as 'ridiculous and inefficient' by travellers. Travellers fill out the paper form distributed on the plane, then on landing go to a kiosk to digitally submit some of the same details, before proceeding to a SmartGate to scan their passport, further increasing confusion and delays in tightly packed arrival areas. The government has been trialling a digital Australian travel declaration on Qantas flights between Australia and New Zealand and at Brisbane Airport that would allow passengers to submit all their customs details online before or after take-off, but it has yet to be implemented across the network.
The Age
10-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
‘You are running a clown show': Inside Australia's airport chaos
Cabinet submissions released under FOI also reveal Border Force has been lobbying Labor to deliver more for the ailing system, which has failed to meet any of the targets set by then Border Force commissioner Michael Outram in 2017. Loading 'Investment is needed,' Border Force said in its submission to former home affairs minister Clare O'Neil in July last year. 'Traveller movements will continue to increase in the lead-up to and beyond the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. The pressure on infrastructure will continue to increase.' Melbourne Airport chief of aviation Jim Parashos said the situation had become untenable. He said the airport had the same number of kiosks to process passengers as it had a decade ago. 'During that time, our passenger numbers have increased by more than 50 per cent,' he said. 'The lack of processing capability often leads to unacceptable congestion, crowding and delays for arriving passengers at peak times. The local Border Force team continue to do what they can with the lack of kiosks, but ultimately, we need significantly more kiosks to deliver an appropriate experience for arriving travellers.' Sydney Airport said it was supporting Border Force to improve passport processing by directly buying additional kiosks, which the ABF will operate. The airport has bought an extra 40 kiosks that are set to be installed this year. In February, this masthead revealed only 57 per cent of inbound travellers have been using SmartGates, falling far short of the 90 per cent target set by Outram in 2017. The shortfall has exacerbated delays at airports that have reduced manual processing at the counter. Border Force said the average clearance time for travellers arriving in Australia last year was 72 seconds. But the actual clearance times for all travellers are likely to be much higher. According to the footnotes in the Home Affairs annual report, more than 2 million travellers who used SmartGates and 2.6 million who used manual passport processing were removed from the figure after being classified as 'outliers' because their clearance took more than three minutes. One of the world's busiest airports, Singapore's Changi, has reduced its clearance times to 10 seconds. Travellers and Australians returning home have labelled the SmartGate system an embarrassment, with complaints about hour-long delays, scanners failing to read passport chips, poor signage and inadequate facilities. 'This is the first glimpse of Australia for many travellers, and I am not surprised if they think arriving in Australia is like joining a herd of sheep,' said one complainant in the dossier of grievances received by the department. 'The queues around the scanners were a disorganised bunfight,' said another. In one instance in July, a Qantas captain complained about being herded by Border Force staff. 'I've never seen this behaviour anywhere in the world in 31 years with my airline,' they said. 'It's an utter disgrace and Australia is becoming the laughingstock of the world with huge entry queues,' another traveller said in December 2023. The complaints span almost all of Australia's major international airports, and each month between November 2023 and November 2024. 'The length of time it takes to get through passport control at Brisbane Airport is egregious,' said one traveller in March last year. 'International travellers were discussing in the line how Brisbane Airport was the worst they had experienced across the world, which is just embarrassing.' 'This morning at Sydney airport early, it was just pandemonium! Nobody knew what was going on,' said a resident returning home in May. 'There were Border Force people, shouting at people like animals, trying to get them in some sort of order.' One passenger arriving from Santiago in August described the passport processing system as 'a shambles'. 'A lone 40-something lady was attempting to direct traffic at Stage 1. I feared for her safety,' they said. 'This has been without a doubt the worst immigration experience of my life,' said another traveller in September. 'Last Friday morning, the mess was so horrendous that people were going crazy.' Another passenger who arrived in November said they had 'the great misfortune of arriving at Sydney airport'. 'Never in my history have I seen such long and poorly managed queues for the SmartGates. It is an embarrassment for visitors that this is their first experience of Australia. I don't know what you've done, but maybe you should undo it. Because it's clearly not up to the task.' Australian Airports Association chief executive Simon Westaway warned Australia was falling behind the rest of the world as international traveller numbers surge to record highs. 'International passengers are understandably frustrated when they face delays at major gateways due to outdated or inadequate border facilities,' he said. 'These experiences risk undermining Australia's competitiveness as a global destination.' Australia is one of the few advanced economies that still requires passengers to fill out a paper customs declaration, described as 'ridiculous and inefficient' by travellers. Travellers fill out the paper form distributed on the plane, then on landing go to a kiosk to digitally submit some of the same details, before proceeding to a SmartGate to scan their passport, further increasing confusion and delays in tightly packed arrival areas. The government has been trialling a digital Australian travel declaration on Qantas flights between Australia and New Zealand and at Brisbane Airport that would allow passengers to submit all their customs details online before or after take-off, but it has yet to be implemented across the network.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New Aussie invention set to halt spread of invasive predators
A new Aussie invention will help keep some of the nation's rarest animals safe from the deadly jaws of feral predators. Mesmerising vision released by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) shows how the new electronic gateway has been trained to recognise critically endangered brush-tailed bettongs so they can enter a protected sanctuary. The AWC's IT team fashioned the AI-powered 'SmartGate' to recognise up to 120 native wildlife and invasive species, letting in the native mammals and keeping out cats and foxes. Trials of the technology have been successful, with 55 million images accurately assessed. The prototype has been trialled at the non-profit's Karakamia sanctuary in southwest Western Australia. The invention will eventually allow safe passage between its 286-hectare feral predator-free fenced area and the wider sanctuary where feral predators are present but Assad, a telecommunications specialist at AWC, described the progress so far as 'very exciting'. 'We've made exciting advancements, learned many lessons and observed a range of animal behaviours that will result in improvements for the revised version of the SmartGate, currently in development,' she said. The SmartGate is essentially a tunnel with gates at each end. Entry through the second gate, into the predator-proof sanctuary, is only granted when the AI system detects a target species has entered. Tragic detail in Aussie roadside photo prompts urgent call to action Remarkable underwater sight at popular beach Push for huge new national park near major city Once the trial period is over, AWC will use the gate to restrict feral animals, as well as kangaroos and wallabies if they become overabundant in a landscape and threaten to damage ecosystems critical to the survival of threatened species. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
CBC
07-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre to make AI-powered weapon detectors permanent
Manitoba's largest hospital is making AI-powered weapon detectors a permanent fixture at some of its entrances. Scanners located at the Health Sciences Centre adult emergency department in Winnipeg will go live on Friday, and the devices will also be installed at the hospital's Crisis Response Centre and the Children's Hospital ER over the coming days, said a Shared Health memo sent out to staff this week. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said during a news conference Friday that the detectors should be fully installed by Thursday. "We're thrilled that this is here and on site," the minister said. "I want to thank the health-care workers, who made it very clear that they had concerns that needed to be addressed." The move follows a months-long trial of the devices, which automatically screen people using artificial intelligence, allowing them walk into the facilities without having to remove any of their belongings at a security check, unlike traditional metal detectors. The HSC pilot tested devices from three different vendors. On Friday, Toronto-based Xtract One Technologies announced the company's SmartGateway detector was selected. CEO Peter Evans said SmartGateway is currently in use in places like New York's Madison Square Garden, facilities run by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and other hospitals across North America. Evans said he couldn't provide any specific results from the HSC pilot because of a non-disclosure agreement, but the system was able to successfully detect thousands of weapons at a similar health-care facility in Virginia, were about five per cent of people were caught with items like knives, guns and even a crossbow. "What we've been able to determine in working in pilots like the one we did with Shared Health and like the ones that we've done at other locations is the problem is very significant," Evans said. 'No system is perfect' The Shared Health memo said the HSC emergency departments will be staffed 24/7 by an institutional safety officer and a security guard. It said the scanner at the children's ER entrance will only go live once Shared Health is "in a better position to staff the scanner and expected processes." Evans said HSC put the devices through a "rigorous process" to figure out the settings that worked for them during the pilot, testing it out in multiple locations and over several weeks. Xtract One aims to catch over 98 per cent of firearms and 96 per cent of edged weapons at a minimum during testing, but the results can vary depending on the environment, he said. SmartGate has also been tested by government agencies in the U.S. and the U.K., he said. "No system is perfect," he said. "You'll find organizations are looking to balance the guest experience and the safety, and so finding that sweet spot could leave the systems open to detecting or missing some of the weapons going through." Xtract One said it's in talks with other provincial governments to place the detectors in other Canadian heath-care facilities. When asked about potentially installing the technology to other hospitals in the province, Asagwara said not every approach works in every setting. "Some folks are talking about maybe community safety hosts," they said. "We're working with each and every site that has these concerns and making sure we're taking a tailored approach that meets their needs." The Winnipeg Jets and Blue Bombers also adopted the weapon detectors at their home arenas this year.
