Australian Border Force

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For Team Leader Natalie, #HugYourDogDay isn’t the only day to shower Detector Dog Dayna with endless hugs for her work towards protecting Australia’s borders. 🐶 Based in Cairns, Natalie has spent the past decade working with these dogs, witnessing first-hand the critical role the ABF Detector Dog Program contributes to keeping Australia safe. "I’ve seen just how extraordinary these dogs are. In the past three years alone, Cairns-based Detector Dogs have been instrumental in significant seizures within our small region, helping intercept over 500 kilograms of illegal narcotics, more than $200,000 in cash, and multiple firearms.” The success of the program, she emphasises, is a result of a team effort. “What makes these dogs exceptional workers is the strong foundation they receive as puppies. Our foster carer network plays a crucial role in their early development, ensuring they grow up socialized and confident.” If you live in the Melbourne metropolitan or greater Geelong areas and you’re interested in fostering a future detector dog like Dayna and supporting Australia’s border protection, learn more about the foster care program here: https://lnkd.in/gbBanTZc

Join us in congratulating cohort 106 for their recent graduation from the BFORT program! After a year of hard work and rigorous training, our newest recruits are ready to take on the important job of protecting Australia's borders as Australian Border Force officers. They have shown resilience, dedication and teamwork every step of the way and we couldn't be prouder. Well done cohort 106

📝 Terms and Conditions: 📝 By giving away free puppies we mean you can foster an ABF puppy for 12 months and we cover the food costs, vet bills and kennelling when you go away on holidays. #NationalPuppyDay

The best way to support neurodiverse people? Just ask. That's the advice from Anastasia, an Executive Assistant with the ABF, who is autistic and has ADHD. "I think we still have a lot to learn about neurodiversity and if I wanted people to learn one concept from Neurodiversity Celebration Week, it’s that being neurodiverse is in itself diverse, you can’t put us all in one box and treat us all the same; Autism especially can be so varied and often in my case contradictory from person to person that the best thing to do is just ask, or allow us the space and safety to speak up." Anastasia is also a member of the Spicy Brain Club, a staff-led network within the Australian Department of Home Affairs and ABF for neurodiverse staff and allies, and while some community members including Anastasia might not prefer the term "spicy brain", the positive impact of the group is certain. "I love that there is somewhere I can feel heard and accepted without having to explain," she said. Inclusion can benefit everyone, not just neurodiverse people, and the celebration of neurodiverse people is important to building a workplace that others want to work at, says Anastasia. "Creating inclusive, respectful workplaces has so many benefits which impact not only the workplace and our colleagues but also the external parties we interact with." This #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek, remember that the neurodiverse community is made up of a diverse range of individuals; each with unique challenges, needs, goals and skills. It's important to listen and learn from each person to best support and celebrate them.

As an autistic person, Eric has found his naturally curious and inquisitive nature come in handy when it's assisted him in multiple successful investigations and seizures of prohibited goods from entering and harming the Australian community. Working in Detained Goods Management, Eric carries out a variety of tasks including processing exams on consignments, processing firearms coming into the country, and monitoring seized items being destroyed. Eric is also a recently joined member of the Spicy Brain Club; a staff-led community within the Australian Department of Home Affairs and ABF for neurodiverse staff and allies. "I think it’s great for myself and everyone involved to have the support from each other. It reminds you that you’re not alone". Eric says that the inclusion and celebration of neurodiverse people in the ABF and Department of Home Affairs is important because it puts awareness out there for people who may not be educated on neurodiversity. "I think it's important to know that being neurodivergent isn't a choice, that being said I wouldn't change who I am for anything. I embrace my spicy brain and I believe that I bring something to my role within the Department that I wouldn't have without my neurodiversity." #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek is an opportunity to highlight the skills, talents and successes of neurodiverse staff like Eric, and recognise the unique benefit their work brings to the Australian Border Force.

The ABF now offers roadside assistance 🚗🔧 Okay not really, but when we are patrolling thousands of kilometres in the vast and remote areas of Australia, we are bound to come across people needing help. ABF officers Murray and Thaddeus were on patrol in WA's Kimberley when they spotted Annabel and Muin stranded on the side of the road with a flat tyre. While Murray and Thaddeus are more accustomed to land patrols, it didn't stop them from pitching in to lend a hand. In no time, the travellers were back on their way, and even got in touch to let us know that they reached their campsite safely and to say thanks. The ABF aims to keep Australia safe and secure on land and at sea, even if that includes fixing the odd flat tyre.

While being dyslexic comes with unique challenges, like sometimes struggling with spelling simple words, Peta has embraced the advantage it gives her as an intelligence officer. "Like many people with dyslexia, I can recognise patterns in data sets long before other analysts can see the same patterns. I also tend to visually see the relationships between different pieces of information in my head in 3D, which can help me find creative solutions to intelligence problems." As a Senior Intelligence Analyst with the Tobacco and Vapes Intelligence team, Peta is focused on the patterns and methodologies used in the importation of illicit tobacco and vapes. Peta is also a member of our Spicy Brain Club, a staff-led network within the Australian Department of Home Affairs and ABF for neurodiverse staff and allies. "It’s a community of like-minded individuals who 'get' the struggle of being neurodiverse but who also can celebrate the joys and quirks of us Spicy Brain peeps. We support each other, and it’s a place to seek information on neurodiversity.” As #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek kicks off today, we recognise and celebrate people like Peta who, in her own words, can "bring different approaches and skill-sets to the workplace; whether its creative problem-solving, a hyper-focus on a particular area of interest, or helping you to think about something in a different way"!

Ahead of International Women’s Day tomorrow, we’re celebrating women in customs. 🙌 To all the women in customs, we salute you! Women belong in customs and you are critical to the security of our nations. Just last week, 30 emerging female customs officers from 17 nations across the Pacific graduated from the 2025 Pacific Women's Professional Development Program (PWPDP). This Australian Border Force initiative, in partnership with Oceania Customs Organisation and RMIT University, empowers future female leaders working in customs roles in the Pacific to advance their career pathways, which in turn also strengthens security in the region. Together we are stronger. #IWD2025

In December last year most Australians were winding down for the year. At the ABF, we were busy setting up Operation Lunar – since then, we’ve seen strong results in combatting illegal foreign fishing. Just last week officers intercepted two illegal foreign fishing vessels, 12 crew members, and $120,000 worth of sea cucumber, following a report from Djelk Rangers from the Bawinanga Homelands Aboriginal Corporation. The unique and detailed knowledge that Indigenous ranger groups and Traditional Owners and custodians possess about Country is invaluable in supporting our efforts to protect our borders.