DIMA deals to Olympics

The Olympics have so far had a minimal impact on the Department of Immigration's Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) system, according to the department.

The ETA system came under fire last year when DIMA announced it would conduct no further testing on the system in the lead up to the Olympic Games. A spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA), said the ETA system, which lets travel agents issue electronically-stored, short-term tourist and business visas for entry into Australia, is so far "coping well".

DIMA has seen a minimal increase in visa applicants wanting to enter Australia in 2000, he said.

According to DIMA, the ETA system is designed to handle at least nine million visitors a year - double the number of international tourists expected to visit Australia in 2000.