The federal government says new high-tech SmartGates at Australian airports are necessary to stare down the "imminent threat" of terrorism.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton announced an $18 million program for rolling out 92 new SmartGates on Thursday in Brisbane.
The gates use facial recognition technology to match a person's face to their passport.
He said this will help stop suspected terrorists by making passenger flow more efficient, thereby freeing up security staff to concentrate on persons of interest.
"Young people in particular, as we've found over the last couple of months, might seek to go over to Syria or to Iraq to commit atrocious acts beyond our shores," he said.
He said stopping the terror threat from reaching Australian shores was also a real and pressing concern.
"Ripping money out of customs and border protection is not a smart way to face the very imminent threat we have in relation to terrorism," he said.
The SmartGates will start being rolled out next month with all of the gates to be installed at Australia's international airports by July next year.
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