Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05CANBERRA1047
2005-06-17 02:54:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Canberra
Cable title:  

AUSTRALIA ON TRACK FOR VWP REQUIREMENTS

Tags:  CVIS CPAS AS 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS CANBERRA 001047 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR CA/VO/F/P

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS CPAS AS
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA ON TRACK FOR VWP REQUIREMENTS

REF: SECSTATE 111324

UNCLAS CANBERRA 001047

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR CA/VO/F/P

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CVIS CPAS AS
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA ON TRACK FOR VWP REQUIREMENTS

REF: SECSTATE 111324


1. (U) Post demarched Australian Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Passport Systems and Technology
Director John Osbourne on June 15 regarding the Visa Waiver
Program (VWP) biometric passport requirements (reftel).
Osbourne identified DFAT as the responsible ministry and
designated himself as the point of contact for VWP
coordination. His details are below:

John Osbourne
Director, Passport Systems & Technology Section
Passports Branch
Tel: 61-2-6261-1035
Fax: 61-2-6261-1038
Email: john.osbourne@dfat.gov.au


2. (U) Osbourne affirmed that Australia was on the path to
full compliance, having issued machine-readable passports
(MRP) since 1982 and digital photographs in passports since

1992. He also saw no obstacle to the initial October 26,
2005 deadline for digitized chips, which were in progress.


3. (SBU) Osbourne did express frustration about the
recurrent extension of deadlines to accommodate problems
other VWP countries had with compliance, especially since
Australia had invested large sums of money to meet the
initial deadlines. He remarked that, had our demarche
occurred before the GOA budget was announced in May, there
would not have been funding for the implementation of
digitized chips by October 2005. Parliament would not have
authorized the funds knowing that an extension for the chips
had been made for October 2006.

STANTON