[3] It grants the bearer international passage in accordance with visa requirements and serves as both a form of identification and proof of Australian citizenship.

In the 19th century, paroled convicts were issued a type of internal passport called "ticket of leave", which enabled them to move freely between the colonies.

[12] During World War I, the monitoring and identifying of those crossing international borders was regarded as critical to the security of Australia and its allies, and the War Precautions Act 1914 required all persons over 16 years of age, on leaving Australia, to possess some passport.

The term encompassed all citizens of countries included in the list contained in the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948.

The Commission published its final report in 1983,[14] making recommendations on how to prevent such abuses, most of which were acted upon by the federal government.

[17][18] Since 1984, to speed up processing of incoming and outgoing passengers and data entry, Australia has been issuing passports with machine readable lines, to ICAO Document 9303 standard.

Australia was only the fourth country in the world (after Malaysia, Thailand and Sweden) to introduce biometric passports.

The Australian Government issues passports to provide an internationally accepted attestation of their citizens' identity.

[28] When they are unable to meet these requirements, a Limited Validity Passport (LVP) or Document of Identity may be compassionately issued.

These passports may only be issued to Australian citizens whose role or purpose of travel fits within the Ministerial Guidelines.

[34] Issuance is tightly controlled, due to the significance of formally representing an individual as acting overseas on behalf of the Australian Government.

On completion of a full application and satisfaction of the usual requirements, a LVP may be exchanged for an ordinary passport, free of charge.

The Australian passport includes the following data: The information page ends with the machine readable zone.

The passports contain inside the front cover a note that is addressed to the authorities of all countries and territories, identifying the bearer as a citizen of Australia and requesting that the bearer be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms: The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, being the representative in Australia of His Majesty King Charles the Third, requests all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer, an Australian Citizen, to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford him or her every assistance and protection of which he or she may stand in need.Passports issued during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1952–2022): The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, being the representative in Australia of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, requests all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer, an Australian Citizen, to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford him or her every assistance and protection of which he or she may stand in need.The passport is printed in English.

Facial recognition technology was introduced with the release of the ePassport to improve identity verification and reduce identity-related fraud.

While unavailable on passports due to ICAO requirements,[45] a "Document of Identity" may be issued with the sex field blank.

[44] For those without revised identity documents, who have not previously been issued a passport in the desired gender, a brief statement by a registered doctor or psychologist is sufficient.

[43] Where unable to get a letter from a doctor or psychologist, applicants are encouraged to inform the APO, so alternative arrangements can be considered.

[47] Administrative policy of the APO and Department of Foreign Affairs aim to prevent unnecessary distress or offence.

[49] In addition, a court can order an accused in a criminal matter, or any other person, to surrender their passport, for example, as a condition of grant of bail or otherwise.

In May 2017, the Turnbull government successfully reached a deal with Derryn Hinch's Justice Party to allow the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to revoke the passports of 20,000 convicted child sex offenders listed on Australia's national child offender register, of which about 3,200 offenders with lifetime reporting requirements were to be permanently denied the opportunity to obtain a passport and hence the ability to travel outside Australia for life.

This was described as a "world-first" passport-ban policy intended to combat child sex tourism perpetuated by Australian citizens especially in developing countries.

As of February 2024, Australian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 190 countries and territories, ranking the Australian passport fifth in the world in terms of travel freedom (tied with Greece, Malta, New Zealand and Switzerland) according to the Henley Passport Index.

However, it is a defence if a person can show they entered or remained in the area for a legitimate purpose prescribed in the regulations.