Technology
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade introduced the biometric 'ePassport' on 24 October 2005.
The ePassport is very similar to the previous 'M' series Australian passport, differing only in having an embedded RFID microchip in the centre page and a gold international ePassport symbol on the front cover.
The chip embedded in the centre pages stores the holder's digitised photograph, name, gender, date of birth, nationality, passport number, and the passport expiry date. This is the same information that appears on the printed information page of every passport.
Facial recognition technology is being introduced to coincide with the release of the ePassport. This technology will be used to improve identity verification and reduce identity-related fraud.
Read more about this topic: Australian Passport