going to guam for business and want to hop over to australia since i will be in that part of the world. two close friends who are african american (as am i) tried to get into australia on two separate occassions (via thailand) and both were denied access each time.

any info on the climate in sydney and other parts of australia toward ethnic minorities (particularly af am.)? i would hate to get all the way there just to be turned away.

not meaning to stir anything up by asking this question-really just looking for information. apologies if this is posted under the wrong topic. thanks for any info.

First off, welcome to FlyerTalk.

Curious...were your friends given a reason for being denied entry into Australia? Did they have valid visas? Oz is one of the few places that gets a lot of American tourists AND requires US citizens to obtain visas.

Last time I went to Australia was 1992 and I'm headed back next week. Back then you had to get a traditional paper visa inserted in your passport. You can now obtain a visa electronically. I got mine through United's reservation line. It only took a minute or two.

As far as I know, Sydney's a pretty open and cosmopolitan place and the people are very friendly and laid back. They probably don't see a lot of black folks down there, but there are many Asians, Indians, as well as many European ethnic groups, especially in Sydney. I can't think of anything that should deter you from going. Australian FTers might current info on the social climate there.

No racial tensions but you really need to get an electronic visa into your US passport. American Blacks are well respected and treated equally to anyone else. After all there are numerous US naval visits to Sydeny every year.

I do not live in Australia. I am not Australian. I have spend a bit over 1 1/2 months traveling in Australia. The comments I am posting are be my observations and opinions and are not meant to reflect on minorities, Australians, natives, Indians or anyone else in a negative light.

I do not believe it is easy being black in Australia. I am not, but they treat their natives poorly. Sure, there has been a lot on intergration over the last 150 years, but... The country has many issues, still unresolved, with their native black population.

The history of Tasmania was a "complete" genocide of the black natives. Similar actions, at a kinder pace, occurred on the East coast.

So, if you are aware of the position of the Indians here in the US, you can better understand the position of the black native in Australia.

People I have talked to in Australia seem to be in favor of providing compensation to the natives or are sorry they were not all killed off. It seems a mixed bag.

How this is transposed in the minds of Australians to American blacks is not know to me. I suspect that the ability to pay, the obviously difference in look, could easily make for a different treatment. I must admit that I cannot remember seeing very many not Aboriginal blacks in my stays in Australia.

Now my name is Randy, but I go by Randall in Australia, as most Australians cannot seem to call me Randy with out being embarrassed or giggling. So go figure.

If I was you I would go to Australia. It is a wonderful place, and I believe you will be accorded a reasonable reception, provided your paperwork is in order.

I may be missing something here, but how would whoever issues Australian visas know
a person's race? They didn't ask last week when I applied through AA. Just a thought. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

thank you all for your replies. i actually received a few replies from another site as well. i think we will just stick to sydney this trip and see what happens. regarding the question about visas - from flowerchild - it was not the visa agent who denied them a visa (they actually had valid visas) it was the agent when you go through customs and get off the plane.

thanks again!

mksmith94610,

The ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) is the only thing you will need to enter Australia. You can get an ETA from most travel agents, and sometimes through the airlines directly. The cost of the Holiday ETA is $25.00. There are several others, depending on what you plan on doing while in Australia. Just make sure if you plan on working, you get the correct ETA. The Holiday ETA allows for multiple entries into Australia, 3 months at a time.
Enjoy the trip. It is absolutely gorgeous there!! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

The only reason any person would be denied access by an Immigration Officer at an Australian airport is if they either do not have a valid visa or have indicated a potential problem when completing their "Incoming Passenger Card". This card asks questions including:
Do you suffer from tuberculosis?
Do you have any criminal conviction/s?
Are you bringing into Australia:
1 Goods that are prohibited, restricted, illicit drugs, firearms erc?
2 More than 1125ml of alcohol or 250gm of tobacco products?
3 More than A$400 worth of dyut/tax free goods?
4 Good/samples for commercial use?
5 A$10,000 or more in any currency?
6 Food of any kind?
7 Plants, wooden articles, seeds, nute etc?
8 Animals, birds, insects, fish etc?
9 Soil, or articls with soil attached?
10 Have you visited a farm outside Australia in the past 30 days?
11 Have you been in Africa or South America in the last 6 days?

An answer of yes to any of these last 11 questions will just result in a more detailed questioning by the Customes Agent, but should not result in denied entry. Entry will not be denied based on skin colour.

Make sure you have a valid visa (now electronic) and don't carry things that are banned and there should be no problems or delays.

Altough I dislike Sydney airport, I have never met or seen an immigration of customs agent that was anything short of polite, and no evidence of racism.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by mksmith94610:
two close friends who are african american (as am i) tried to get into australia on two separate occassions (via thailand) and both were denied access each time. </font>

Any accusation that an Australian Government Official denied entry on the basis of race is very serious. If your friends are sure that this was the reason they were denied entry they should immediately contact the following people by letter:


Hon Phillip Ruddock
Minister for Imigration
Parliament House ACT 2600

as well as

Hon Con Sciacca
Shadow Minister for Imigration
Parliament House ACT 2600

they will at least be able to confirm the reason entry was denied and provide follow up.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by AN-Diamond:
Any accusation that an Australian Government Official denied entry on the basis of race is very serious. If your friends are sure that this was the reason they were denied entry they should immediately contact the following people by letter:

Thank you for this information. I have actually been trying to find out what recourse they have. I will pass it along to my friends. Thanks.
Hon Phillip Ruddock
Minister for Imigration
Parliament House ACT 2600

as well as

Hon Con Sciacca
Shadow Minister for Imigration
Parliament House ACT 2600

they will at least be able to confirm the reason entry was denied and provide follow up.</font>