what are your legal rights on re-entering Australia?

[medhead]

Australian customs are well known for their poor behaviour, and the Australian Federal police are internationally known as a joke in intelligence circles for their huge mistakes. Scotland Yard detectives apparently joke about them in regards to the Haneef affair.

Only a few years ago a family in Sydney was awarded an undisclosed amount from them in a private settlement. The reason? The federal police raided the wrong address, they apparently couldn't tell even numbers from odd numbers on the street and an innocent family got a rude awakening having their door kicked in.

I don't know why you would bother stirring up trouble. But your choice.

As for jokes about the AFP and the case you quote, think yourself lucky. There are cases in the US of the FBI knocking down the wrong door and then shooting everyone in the house.

 

[Moody]

Look - this thread is getting really boring after a promising start. I am not a citizen but have never been given the third degree by the Sydney C&I - in fact more often than not I am approached in the queue, asked a few questions and then told to walk through to the exit.

I have been to countries that always give you the third degree and have been asked very detailed questions about my activites and reasons for being there. Guess what - I answer their questions fully and truthfully and they let me through.

There is some evidence here that if you once incur a secondary (for any reason) you are more likely to cop one every time. But like an erroneous entry in your credit history you can eventually clear your name as long as you know the federal minister.

So feel free to exercise your "rights" and refuse to answer questions - it probably contributes to my average of 10 minutes from aerobridge to taxi queue, because they are too busy putting on the gloves for you wanna-be lawyers and civil-rights fundamentalists.

 

[JohnK]

There is no way I would class any part of Australia as resembling a police state. If anyone is unsure of what happens in a true police state then you really need to visit some 3rd world countries close to our doorstep.

In my opinion if you have done nothing wrong then there is nothing to fear even in a police state. I have done nothing wrong, I have nothing to hide and I could care less what sort of information customs is gathering about me or anyone else.

Living in the electronic age big brother knows everything about us anyway....

 

[Dave Noble]

The legal rights seem to have been covered and there seems to be nothing more that can be constructively added and is being closed