Originally Posted by Kiwi Flyer
At both SYD & MEL you need to clear some kind of checks as arrivals are separated from departures. As to which is easiest/quickest it largely depends on day and time of arrival (to avoid peak times if possible).
It's just a quick security check though - all the times I've passed by the transit point at SYD, there have been hardly any queues.
Even if there are, I'd be surprised if it takes longer than 5 minutes to clear. It's only security - dumping your stuff on the xray and walking thru the detector. Not like say Customs where the officers have to spend twenty years pecking your details into their computer terminal.