Australian Customs - Deterrent to Visiting Oz ?

[gixerjen]

akio kanemoto, 10 years ago I wanted to move to Australia. . . but I keep classic cars and bikes.

so I am led to believe, any deviation from standard is illegal modification? which is why I no longer want to live in your beautiful country. . . . which is probably how the aussie govt want it.

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by akio.kanemoto

Katiusha,

Firstly, I will state that I have been living here in Sydney for most of my life and have travelled extensively both within Australia and internationally.

Australia is the Ultimate nanny state.

You live here by the grace of God, hoping that you don't get busted for SOMETHING, because, apart from going to work and working for a salary for a large corporate - everything else is more-or-less illegal in some way.

Every single day there is a new law banning something, or making something else more difficult, or increasing a tax etc etc..

It's a beautiful country, with nice people, but the government in all its forms and all its versions makes it a hell to live in if you wish to do anything apart from the aforementioned "work for a salary" and have some quiet time to yourself at home on the weekend.

So the baseline is that everything is illegal here, and you hope that the police/government etc aren't specifically looking at any given time for something to fine you for.

Stay small and under the radar and there is hope that you will get away living a normal life and doing normal things.. and maybe even having a pleasant cruise. BUT DON'T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED!

What do I mean by this?

Say you want to paint your deck with non-slip (my current task!) - sure, go ahead and do it, but officially, by law, you're not allowed to do any maintenance work on your mooring. So there's a 99% chance that nobody will care, but if they want you busted, you're gone.

Say you want to install some deck hardware... yep, Officially a no-no.

Say you want to change your oil filter... Officially nope.

Of course this is really stretching it - and if you took it to court it would probably be come out ok, but the point is that at face value, these are all unlawful activities.

In fact, there are a myriad of further specific examples like this in a boating context including the number of nights at anchor, the fact that it is officially illegal to live aboard, blah blah blah.... and it is impossible to know them all (but ignorance of the law is no excuse apparently)

Did you see what happened to the Sydney version of the Occupy Wall Street movement? They were evicted by dozens of police in no time, under the "no camping" law. Right to free speech? Not here.

There is always some law that can be used to shaft you for SOMETHING here.

My mooring is a few hundred metres from the wharf/boat ramp. I have a largish RIB with an outboard motor which I use to go back and forth - I don't go anywhere else, don't do circles and create a huge wash/wake and scream like the wakeboarding boats - just one boring trip in the morning and a boring trip back in the evening... All good... Just last week though, after hundreds of these trips, my number came up. On the way back, there was a police boat on the wharf checking every boat that came back, looking for SOMETHING (ANYTHING!). I was busted for.. wait for it.. not wearing a lifejacket. ARE YOU KIDDING!!?

It appears that there is now a new law, if you are in a vessel shorter than 4.8m (~15ft) and you are alone.. regardless of whether the vessel is a tender or not, you MUST wear a lifejacket. Even if your entire trip is only 10m/yards from shore in a protected bay, in full daylight, to your big-arse sailboat with your epirb, satphone, liferaft blah blah blah on it.

Other boats were being fined for various things ranging from not carrying a whistle/paddle/bucket to not having a fishing license. Police and almost anybody with any authority here is an intimidating bully. (and don't expect to rely on them for help if you call 000/911.. you're on your own. - but that's another thread!)

Roads are the same, breath tests for alcohol/DUI etc - at bizarre times - like Monday mornings on main roads (WHY?!?!?) Speed cameras in the middle of nowhere where there is no safety issue... you name it.. I was caught by the highway patrol on radar at 3am in a coastal holiday town some 10 years ago doing 60km/h (30mph?) in a 50km/h (35mph?) on a straight stretch, with no houses around.

So if you come here, chances are that - apart from your initial compulsory meeting with authority/customs etc - you might be lucky enough to "get away" with having a normal time and having a normal cruise, but if your number comes up, that's that.

I live in fear every day that yet some more of my freedoms will be taken away, or those freedoms which were already taken away by new laws months/years ago will begin to be enforced.

Meh its not that bad. Sure we have Ronald Mcdonalds misses running the joint. But its still the best country in the world to live in.

[boden36]

Oz is right, in Australia there are many rules but they are not well policed.
The lifejacket rule is an example of official stupidity, and I am sure most people in dinghies will ignore it and it will be a great revenue raiser. The other day my wife rowed ashore in our 8 foot dinghy to pick up two visitors - she was illegal on the way over as she was alone in the boat with no jacket, but on the way back, heavily laden with the two visitors she was perfectly legal as there was more than one in the dinghy!
I really can't imagine safely rowing a small dinghy and clambering up onto our yacht with a lifejacket on, especially with the temp over 100 F. But what would I know, I've only been doing it for 50 years and I don't sail a desk!

Regards,
Richard.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by gixerjen

going to oz WAS stressful the forms we had to fill in before landing in Australia were pretty full on. . . and that's not including 24 hours in the air :O

You are kidding, right?

Incoming Passenger Card Sample

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by yeloya

There is another reason I guess: extremely strong AUS dollar..

The number one reason I would say.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

But its still the best country in the world to live in.

Only if you are quite well off
and
I think you need to get out more

[akio.kanemoto]

Originally Posted by gixerjen

akio kanemoto, 10 years ago I wanted to move to Australia. . . but I keep classic cars and bikes.

so I am led to believe, any deviation from standard is illegal modification? which is why I no longer want to live in your beautiful country. . . . which is probably how the aussie govt want it.

In general, anything non-standard in Australia is BAD.

Chances are that if they're minor mods, they won't notice you. But if they want to shaft you, then yes, it's all unlawful (unless you get an engineering certificate blah blah blah $$$ and go through a million hoops and then they won't let you do certain things anyway).

[Knowazark]

10 years ago I wanted to move to Australia. . . but I keep classic cars and bikes.

In that case, New Zealand is the country for you. Most of our vehicle fleet are classics

No seriously, there is a relatively high proportion of older cars on NZ roads and there is a vibrant classic car and motorcycle culture here too. Modifications aren't a problem and vehicle emissions testing is not something that gets done here at all. Vehicles do have to be inspected every 6 months to ensure they're road worthy and there is an annual vehicle licencing fee.

Of course, we don't have quite the same scenery and sheer mass of land that Australia has ...... we have some pretty good scenery here, but Australia is pretty much unique.

[akio.kanemoto]

Originally Posted by boden36

Oz is right, in Australia there are many rules but they are not well policed.
The lifejacket rule is an example of official stupidity, and I am sure most people in dinghies will ignore it and it will be a great revenue raiser. The other day my wife rowed ashore in our 8 foot dinghy to pick up two visitors - she was illegal on the way over as she was alone in the boat with no jacket, but on the way back, heavily laden with the two visitors she was perfectly legal as there was more than one in the dinghy!
I really can't imagine safely rowing a small dinghy and clambering up onto our yacht with a lifejacket on, especially with the temp over 100 F. But what would I know, I've only been doing it for 50 years and I don't sail a desk!

Regards,
Richard.

It's all a matter of time. Sure not all laws are policed at the moment - but they eventually will/could be. The provisions in the law are there.

Think of the red light cameras... started YEAAAARS ago and recently started to mushroom everywhere...

..and suddenly legislation changed such that they are now "safety cameras" with built-in speed cameras...

So soon every red-light camera in australia will become a speed camera too... oh and will check registration/insurance details automatically... blah blah blah...

Likewise, the internet is OFFICIALLY CENSORED in Australia - the law is in place 100%, but they can't make it work.. but you watch, when the technology is available, they will police it and censor whatever they feel like that doesn't meet their mandate.

We're living on borrowed time here.

Yes, a beautiful country, a nice place to live, but we're just sausages coming out from the sausage machine who just fit into a large corp and assuming that we live vanilla lives, will get to our graves "safely".

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Billy Higgins

To flesh out some of the rumours I've heard on entering Australia, what would a typical cruising yacht - say 36 feet, two aboard, no pets - expect to pay when entering/clearing Australia? I expect to clear in only at Darwin, and depart for Mauritius directly from there.

Tried asking at source? Customs, Immigration, Quarantine.

I think there was a 160 AUD quarantine fee back in 2006 (26' boat, two onboard, no pets). They asked to see ALL seacocks and poured their liquid into them. We were not allowed to use these seacocks for a day or so. Funny, especially in relation to the engine intake ;-))))))

b.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Tried asking at source? Customs, Immigration, Quarantine.

I think there was a 160 AUD quarantine fee back in 2006 (26' boat, two onboard, no pets). They asked to see ALL seacocks and poured their liquid into them. We were not allowed to use these seacocks for a day or so. Funny, especially in relation to the engine intake ;-))))))

b.

B. is a moron. He went to the website and found this:

Yacht fees and charges - DAFF

Them apparently doubled the fees or else B. not reading the right source.

b.

[ozskipper]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Only if you are quite well off
and
I think you need to get out more

I have traveled Europe, Asia, Pacific and US- so I have been "out" somewhat. But I am certainly not well off. Especially since the great divorce of 1998 lol. My last boat was only worth 14k and I own a basic house in regional Aus. But then again, I am a glass half full kinda guy.

And while I can think of many exciting and wonderful places to travel, with amazing cultures and beautiful people, there is still only one place I want to call home.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Only if you are quite well off
(...)

Also if you are quite far off ... ;-)))

Loved OZ, complicated and pricey entry, but nice people and great nature. Better this than the other way round.

b.

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

I have traveled Europe, Asia, Pacific and US- so I have been "out" somewhat. But I am certainly not well off. Especially since the great divorce of 1998 lol. My last boat was only worth 14k and I own a basic house in regional Aus. But then again, I am a glass half full kinda guy.

Housing and the general cost of living is considerable cheaper in regional Australia.
In or near the cities where the Majority lives, this is not the case.

And while I can think of many exciting and wonderful places to travel, with amazing cultures and beautiful people, there is still only one place I want to call home.

Being Australian, there is only one place I can call home as well, but that doesn't mean that its "The Best" country in the world to live in.

I look at the many retired people in Australia who even though they are fortunate enough to own their homes outright, barely scratch out an existence on the pension.
And what of those that don't own and have to pay rent in their latter years?

Compare that to the expats I have met overseas who are living a fantastic life on the same amount of money and the ones that sold the house in Australia and moved their cash overseas , well they live the lifestyle that only a millionaire could hope to have here.

Like I said, Australia probably is the best place in the world to live in, but if your version of living is more than just surviving, you would want to be fairly cashed up and or have a higher than average income

[ausaviator]

Compare that to the expats I have met overseas who are living a fantastic life on the same amount of money and the ones that sold the house in Australia and moved their cash overseas , well they live the lifestyle that only a millionaire could hope to have here.

Please tell me what country I have to move to do live like this? !!!!