Melbourne: Actress Navya Nair’s Onam trip to Australia took an unexpected turn when she was fined ₹1.14 lakh (AUD 1,980) at Melbourne International Airport for carrying a 15 cm jasmine gajra in her handbag.
Navya Nair’s Costly Slip
Navya, who had travelled to Melbourne for Onam celebrations with the Malayali Association of Victoria, shared that her father had given her two jasmine strings before she left Kochi. She wore one en route to Singapore and kept the other in her carry bag to use later.
“What I did was against the law. It was a mistake I made unknowingly. However, ignorance is no excuse. For bringing a 15 cm jasmine string, officials asked me to pay a fine of AUD 1,980 (₹1.14 lakh). A mistake is a mistake, though it was not intentional,” she said.
The fine must be paid within 28 days.
Australia’s Strict Biosecurity Rules
Jasmine flowers fall under Australia’s biosecurity list of prohibited items, which covers over 100 categories. The rules are among the strictest in the world, designed to protect the country’s fragile ecosystem from invasive pests and diseases.
Some items on the banned list include:
- Fresh or dried flowers, fruits, and vegetables
- Herbs, spices, raw nuts, and seeds
- Dairy products, honey, and pet food
- Traditional sweets like Rasgulla, Mysore Pak, Burfi, and Soan Papdi
- Rice and homemade food
- Feathers, bones, skins, and even down-filled jackets or quilts
- Traditional medicines made from plant or animal material
Oddly specific bans exist too — for instance, radish is not allowed during Lohri and cotton rakhi threads are prohibited, though decorative ones with plastic or metallic beads are permitted. Interestingly, maple syrup is allowed.
What Happens If You Break The Rules
Travellers who fail to declare restricted items face:
- On-the-spot fines up to AUD 2,664
- Confiscation and destruction of goods
- Possible visa cancellation or even prosecution in severe cases
The golden rule for passengers: always declare food, plants, animal products, and medicines on arrival cards. Declared items may simply be seized without penalty, but undeclared ones can cost travellers dearly — as Navya’s case shows.
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