Tourism industry representatives think it’s time for passports to be ditched for people travelling between Australia and New Zealand.
Chief executive of Australia’s Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF), Margy Osmond, said it’s time to upgrade measures at airports on both sides of the Tasman, meaning people could enter without passports.
"We should use the trans-Tasman border as a test case so we can trial more efficient entry and screening technologies to process incoming passengers," she said.
"These tools are already being used successfully in other countries to simplify air travel, slash travel times and boost security."
It comes as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prepares to travel to New Zealand at the end of the week to meet with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.
When announcing the trip, Hipkins said, "I believe that the trans-Tasman relationship is the strongest it has been in decades".
"In both Australia and Prime Minister Albanese, New Zealand has a close friend and ally, so I'm very pleased to host him here during this year of milestone anniversaries.
"Prime Minister Albanese’s visit is a chance to recognise our past achievements, to celebrate the progress we have made this year and to set ambition for where Australia and New Zealand want to go next."
However, the TTF wants immediate action, calling for a taskforce before the end of August, with the goal of trialling a seamless border by the end of the year.
"Australia was one of the first countries to introduce smart gates and e-passports, but progress has stalled," Osmund said.
The organisation believes formalities at the border could be reduced to just facial recognition technology in order to stop people producing passports, travel documents or boarding passes.
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