Ms MAY (11:06 AM) —I am delighted to be able to speak on the report of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration entitled, Going for gold: immigration entry arrangements for the Olympic and Paralympic Games . Most Australians will know that the Olympic Games will commence on Friday, 15 September 2000. This will be the time that all Australians have been waiting for, ever since that historical moment when President Samaranch announced the winner as, `Sydney.' This will be an exciting time for our whole nation. It will be a time for all Australians to share in the exhilaration of the largest peacetime event in Australian history.

The Olympic Games will provide a showcase to allow our nation to, like a peacock, show off our greatest assets, our finest plumage, our true colours, our diversity, and a myriad of skills in areas such as sport, hospitality and tourism. Some 10,200 athletes will be involved in the games, and an additional 15,000 coaches and officials will provide input into the outcome of various sporting competitions. An expected 5.5 million spectators will attend the games and a further 3.5 billion people will capture historic moments on their television sets worldwide.

Very soon after the Olympic flame is extinguished, the Paralympic Games will kick-start. Some 4,000 athletes and 2,000 officials and coaches from a total of 125 countries will participate in this event, the first Paralympic Games in the southern hemisphere. It will be the only opportunity in our lifetime to cheer for our world champion athletes in Paralympic competition on Australian soil. In terms of the number of countries involved, the Paralympics are second only to the Olympic Games.

The Australian government has indicated a strong commitment to these games, and we have demonstrated that commitment by contributing a guarantee of up to $25 million, half the expected operating deficit, and by providing almost $5.5 million for the preparation of the Paralympic athletes. The government will also meet the GST liability on Paralympic ticket sales, estimated at $1.6 million.

Both sporting events will leave an indelible mark on the world. Both events signal opportunities for all Australians, right across the country, to feel pride in our nation. And, of course, the games will provide a great lead into the Centenary of Federation celebrations in the year 2001.

One of the greatest opportunities and challenges from hosting the games will be the attention it brings to the host nation. The predicted number of visitors from other countries travelling to Australia to share the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games will put significant pressure on Australia's entry and exit arrangements.

The Tourism Forecasting Council estimates of visitor volume predict an increase in arrivals of more than nine per cent in 2000 compared with this year. As expected, the majority of this rise will be due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I am delighted to speak today on the Joint Standing Committee on Migration's inquiry into immigration entry arrangements for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The perceptions of our visitors during the games, many of whom will be first-time visitors to our nation, are vitally important. Our aim is for visitors to return home at the end of their stay completely satisfied with the level of ease which they have experienced in entering and leaving our country. Our aim is for visitors to feel they have had such a positive experience in our country that they will foster business and tourism opportunities. In the Going for gold report the Joint Standing Committee on Migration identifies that the immigration arrangements are based on the understanding that the efficient planning and coordination of such arrangements for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be a key contributor to the success of the games. These immigration arrangements highlighted by this inquiry are not only designed to facilitate visitors' travel but to protect our borders.

The first recommendation of the report refers to the necessity to ensure that the same arrangements for Olympic families are extended to the Paralympic families. Under this recommendation the committee identified a special concern about timing for the arrangements and has recommended that a memorandum of understanding between the department and SOCOG be finalised as a matter of urgency. This is a vital move considering that we do not want such matters to be left to the eleventh hour.

Australia has made special provisions for the visit of accredited Olympic and Paralympic family members. These provisions will apply to a clearly defined group and will apply for a short period of time. Under these provisions, accredited family members will include athletes and team officials, competition officials, accredited officials, royalty, heads of state and government and other senior dignitaries identified by the National Olympic Committee, and members of the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee. Also included are guests of the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee, national olympic committees and national paralympic committees, international sporting federations and international paralympic sporting federations. Due to the nature of these procedures, the committee has identified a need for a robust computer system. The urgent extension of electronic travel authorities, as recommended by the committee, may have an impact in reducing the potential embarrassment of refusing entry to people who wish to visit Australia to watch the games.

In addition, the committee recommends that, as a matter of urgency, DFAT examines the potential embarrassment if a large number of visa applications from any country is refused and that it work with DIMA on reducing this potential. I strongly believe that it would not be in our nation's best interests and within the friendly spirit of the games if we have high refusal rates. While tourism and travel industry submissions pointed to the suggestion of waiving visitor visa arrangements, the committee was not willing to consider this line of thinking. The committee's general feeling is it would put extra strain on Australia's border entry requirements and cause delay in visitor entry processing on arrival.

The committee is pleased to welcome plans to have staff and volunteer hosts with multilingual skills trained to provide hospitality services to all visitors during the games period. The committee is also pleased to welcome recommendations in relation to drugs, bearing in mind that the games period is one of potentially increased border threats through the importation of narcotics, performance-enhancing drugs and other prohibited imports. The committee welcomes the fact that family members detected carrying performance-enhancing drugs will not be dealt with any differently from anyone else carrying such drugs.

Another particularly sensitive topic is that of border security. The games will see increased numbers of people seeking to exploit any consequent weakening of DIMA's vigilance by attempting to enter Australia without documents or with false documentation. This will impose heavy demands on the skills and resources of Australia's agencies, in particular on Customs. Australia's capacity to handle predicted volumes of visitors and such problems with documentation is reliant on trained and experienced staff offshore and at onshore entry points. It is considered by the committee that agencies should boost staffing levels so that they are able to adapt and cope with unexpected events.

Going for gold identified the fact that the number of unauthorised arrivals in Australia is increasing and that, like other major events held in other countries in the past have indicated, there is always a chance that important international events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games will create challenges for the host country. While Australia can expect problems such as visa overstayers and perhaps, at the other end of the spectrum, terrorism aimed at groups participating in the games, the appropriate authorities are currently minimising the likelihood of the latter occurring by undertaking a range of preventative activities and measures offshore. The committee has identified a need for the placement of additional staff at key airports to minimise the likelihood of such problems.

Australia's visitor numbers will swell greatly next year. It is estimated that the Sydney international airport will handle about 178,000 arrivals during the first half of September 2000. The balance of the arrivals will go through other international terminals, the majority in Brisbane, Melbourne, Cairns and Perth. The evidence given to the committee indicates that the appropriate agencies are confident that sufficient preparations and planning procedures have been put in place, or are in train, to meet the games' demands. In this vein, the committee anticipates that this will ensure that visitors to Australia during this exciting time will assist in our nation gaining valuable opportunities for development in areas such as business and tourism in the future.

Supporting the two landmark events is very much a bipartisan Australian effort. These events will showcase Australia to the world and it is within our ability to ensure that these are the best games of the century. It is vital that we have provisions in place to ensure we reach our objectives of providing efficient entry and exit arrangements to allow visitors to enjoy their experiences and to also protect our borders. I strongly commend the committee's findings.