Section 233AMigration Act 1958 (Cth)

Offence of people smuggling

(1) A person (the first person) commits an offence if:

(a) the first person organises or facilitates the bringing or coming to Australia, or the entry or proposed entry into Australia, of another person (the second person); and

(b) the second person is a non‑citizen; and

(c) the second person had, or has, no lawful right to come to Australia.

Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years or 1,000 penalty units, or both.

(2) Absolute liability applies to paragraph (1)(b).

Note: For absolute liability, see section 6.2 of the Criminal Code.

(3) For the purposes of this Act, an offence against subsection (1) is to be known as the offence of people smuggling.

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 May 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au. Verify the current text against the official source before relying on it.

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