An Indian actress who claims she didn’t know she had to declare a garland of flowers she travelled with has been hit with a $2,000 fine after landing in Australia.
Navya Nair, who had travelled from Kochi in India to Singapore before her final leg onwards to Melbourne on Saturday, was carrying a jasmine gajra garland by her father to wear in her hair on her flight.
Given the likelihood of the flowers withering during the lengthy journey, Nair’s father gave his daughter a second garland for her arrival in Australia, which she kept in her carry-on baggage.
“He told me to keep the second one in my handbag so I could wear it on the onward journey from Singapore,” Nair said, a local news website reported. “I put it in my carry bag.”
Nair didn’t declare the flowers upon arrival, and when officials at Melbourne Airport found the garland, she was fined almost $2,000.
Bringing flowers into Australia isn’t exactly illegal, provided they are declared.
In fact, according to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) website, up to six small boxes or bouquets of fresh flowers can be brought in on a flight or cruise ship.
News.com.au understands that if a traveller has flowers with them on entry to Australia, they must declare them on their Incoming Passenger Card.
A small volume of flowers or foliage for personal use can be inspected by Biosecurity Officers. If any pests or diseases are identified at inspection, news.com.au understands the passenger will be responsible for any treatment costs, or the passenger may choose to dispose of the plant material.
If such items are not declared, the carrier risks copping a significant fine — up to $6,600 for some imports — and that’s because live plants (including cut flowers) may carry biosecurity risks such as insects, bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
Cut flowers — such as those which Nair was carrying — are normally OK upon declaration, and with verification and approval by Australian biosecurity officers as being free from pests.
Nair acknowledged her mistake by not declaring the flowers upon arrival.
“What I did was against the law. It was a mistake I made unknowingly. However, ignorance is no excuse,” she said.
As reported by the ABC, it is understood the actress was in Australia as part of an Onam event organised by the Malayalee Association of Victoria. Onam is a 10-day harvest festival from the Indian state of Kerala.
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