Apparently someone who doesn't want Australia to fine them. The real question is why Australia doesn't let people know this before they enter the country when the TSA easily lets people know about all the things they can't bring on a plane with signs before they even go through a security checkpoint.
We do. There's announcements on the flight and there's signs everywhere.
The department spokeswoman pointed to biosecurity announcements on flights which told travellers what their declaration obligations were, as well as signage about it around arrivals areas in Australian airports.
Ok, so basically this woman didn't pay attention to anything and got fined for it.
Moreover, she declared on her landing card that she had no plant or animal material on her possession. Being a New Zealander she should know better. What an idiot.
It was probably a lack of attention combined with a genuine mistake. She claims she slept through the flight. Lots of people are also unaware how strictly we deal with it and think they'll be fine instead of fined. We have an entire TV show about it.
I don't want to be too harsh on her as it's relatively minor and the fine amounted to 10% of their combined remaining life savings. It was her mistake.
there are signs all through the airport and she will be asked as well. she had opportunities to declare it
You aussies charged her $2,000 for a harmless cooked sandwich. It was too old to eat and just garbage by the time she arrived to Australia. Instead of simply tossing it.....$2,000. Y'all suck.
She's 77 and she had probably planned to eat it on the flight. It was a cooked chicken sandwich. Think she planned on keeping it for like 6 hours in her purse?
Armstrong said she packed the sandwich in her bag before the flight
Yes, it sounds like she did.
Some of these rules are just silly and arbitrary. Once I was driving down to the USA from Canada and I had a banana sitting on the dash for a snack.
The customs agent angrily tells me "You can't bring a banana into America". So I chomped down the banana, and offered the peel for disposal.
"I don't want the peel, you can keep the peel"
I looked confused and asked how the peel was any different from the whole banana, and he's just like "move along, next vehicle"
I think he was just hungry and wanted to swipe my banana
My father visited the USSR in the late 80s. When he left, he was required by law to return all of the Soviet money he had exchanged. He offered all of his rubles and then he emptied his pockets and he had a handful of kopeks in them and put them on the desk. The customs guy looked down at them and said, "you keep kopek." And that's how I got a few Soviet kopeks as a kid to add to my coin collection.
At the US Canada border crossing, if you don't declare a pack of gum or a candy bar for a inspection it can be used as an "issue"
I was warned of this a few years ago as they asked me if I wanted to declare anything before they started their random vehicle inspection.
One time I was driving my Gf's car and at some point a orange had rolled under her seat and had turned into a dried out black ball.
They let me off with a stiff warning that I was lucky since I didn't declare and they could tell it was an accident. They have to be concerned about the orange crops (in Florida I guess?) I was told. I was crossing in Washington State though.
Crossing in Washington the guard got angry at us because one of us was from DC, one from Vegas, and one from Seattle. He was offended that we came from different places.
It sucks how people are left up to the whim of the guards working. If they are having a bad day, odds are you will too.
@FlyingSquid @throws_lemy Who the hell declares a sandwich????
Apparently someone who doesn't want Australia to fine them. The real question is why Australia doesn't let people know this before they enter the country when the TSA easily lets people know about all the things they can't bring on a plane with signs before they even go through a security checkpoint.
We do. There's announcements on the flight and there's signs everywhere.
Ok, so basically this woman didn't pay attention to anything and got fined for it.
Moreover, she declared on her landing card that she had no plant or animal material on her possession. Being a New Zealander she should know better. What an idiot.
It was probably a lack of attention combined with a genuine mistake. She claims she slept through the flight. Lots of people are also unaware how strictly we deal with it and think they'll be fine instead of fined. We have an entire TV show about it.
I don't want to be too harsh on her as it's relatively minor and the fine amounted to 10% of their combined remaining life savings. It was her mistake.
there are signs all through the airport and she will be asked as well. she had opportunities to declare it
You aussies charged her $2,000 for a harmless cooked sandwich. It was too old to eat and just garbage by the time she arrived to Australia. Instead of simply tossing it.....$2,000. Y'all suck.
She's 77 and she had probably planned to eat it on the flight. It was a cooked chicken sandwich. Think she planned on keeping it for like 6 hours in her purse?
Yes, it sounds like she did.
Some of these rules are just silly and arbitrary. Once I was driving down to the USA from Canada and I had a banana sitting on the dash for a snack.
The customs agent angrily tells me "You can't bring a banana into America". So I chomped down the banana, and offered the peel for disposal.
"I don't want the peel, you can keep the peel"
I looked confused and asked how the peel was any different from the whole banana, and he's just like "move along, next vehicle"
I think he was just hungry and wanted to swipe my banana
My father visited the USSR in the late 80s. When he left, he was required by law to return all of the Soviet money he had exchanged. He offered all of his rubles and then he emptied his pockets and he had a handful of kopeks in them and put them on the desk. The customs guy looked down at them and said, "you keep kopek." And that's how I got a few Soviet kopeks as a kid to add to my coin collection.
At the US Canada border crossing, if you don't declare a pack of gum or a candy bar for a inspection it can be used as an "issue"
I was warned of this a few years ago as they asked me if I wanted to declare anything before they started their random vehicle inspection.
One time I was driving my Gf's car and at some point a orange had rolled under her seat and had turned into a dried out black ball.
They let me off with a stiff warning that I was lucky since I didn't declare and they could tell it was an accident. They have to be concerned about the orange crops (in Florida I guess?) I was told. I was crossing in Washington State though.
Crossing in Washington the guard got angry at us because one of us was from DC, one from Vegas, and one from Seattle. He was offended that we came from different places.
It sucks how people are left up to the whim of the guards working. If they are having a bad day, odds are you will too.
@WashedOver that's insane