The scanners, according to the Herald Sun, will be used to reveal metal and non-metal items under clothing as well as to produce an outline of the human body of passengers.
The use of full-body scans at airports was first suggested by the Australian government back in 2010 as part of a package of measures to strengthen Australia’s aviation security. Since then, the system has been tested at airports in Sydney and Melbourne, raising questions regarding safety and privacy.
In a statement this week, Transport Minister Anthony Albanese reassured airline passengers worried about safety issues, saying, "the millimeter-wave body scanners are perfectly safe and one body scan emits 10,000 times less frequency energy than a single mobile phone call."
According to the Herald Sun, Albanese confirmed back in February that the policy would be mandatory. "For this technology to work effectively, obviously there can’t be an option to refuse screening," he said. Passengers with legitimate health reasons, such as those with a pacemaker, will be able to avoid the scanners.
The scanners will be rolled out at eight international gateway airports in Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
The Netherlands was the first country to introduce full-body scans back in 2007; a complete list of airports currently using the scans can be found at bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/home/2010/06/airports-with-body-scanners.html.