Australia and NZ to share passenger information

Foreign Minister Phil Goff (L) and Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer sign a border security arrangement. Picture / Fotopress

Australia and New Zealand today signed a border security arrangement to share information about passengers flying between the two countries.

Foreign minister Phil Goff and his Australian counterpart Alexander Downer signed the agreement in Auckland at the end of the pair's six monthly talks.

The ministers also laughed off reports of Australia infringing on New Zealand's sovereignty through its new maritime security measures.

At the weekend meeting on Waiheke Island they also discussed the deportation of New Zealand born "human crime wave" Patricia Carol Toia after she had lived in Australia for 25 years.

A joint statement by the ministers said the agreement to share information would improve both countries' Advance Passenger Processing (APP) systems.

"This arrangement gives New Zealand and Australia a level of co-operation on border security that is advanced as any in the world," the ministers said.

The system allows passengers and their documentation to be screened when they check-in for overseas flights to New Zealand and Australia.

Mr Goff told reporters the APP system had enabled New Zealand to stop 179 people from entering the country in the past year.

"The agreement strengthens our ability to get reciprocal information from Australia about people that may be coming here and Australia getting the same information about New Zealand," he said.

Mr Downer said other Pacific nations were not ready to participate in such an arrangement.

"It's a pretty elaborate sort of system, it'd be pretty difficult to implement in relation for all of the countries in the Pacific."

Mr Goff said the arrangement was the aviation equivalent of Australia's new maritime security zone of 1000 nautical miles announced last week.

The minister was caught unawares when the measure to question ships destined for Australian waters within the zone about their cargo and personnel was announced

Today, Mr Goff said New Zealand already had similar arrangements in place and suggestions of an extension of Australian jurisdiction to his country were "a load of nonsense".

"The fields of Fiordland were quaking in fear at the thought of Australian sovereignty being extended to cover them," Mr Goff joked.

Mr Downer countered: "We're very happy for Invercargill, and let this be on the record, to remain part of New Zealand."

The Sunday-Star Times reported today that Mr Goff had also discussed the deportation of Toia with Mr Downer.

Mr Goff said New Zealanders who had lived most of their lives in Australia should be allowed to stay there after they are released from prison.

Mr Downer disagreed.

The ministers said the talks had also paved the way for progress in bilateral free trade and the two countries free trade talks with other nations.

- NZPA and AAP