West Australian school leavers planning to head to south-east Asia to celebrate the end of the high school years have been warned to mind their manners while abroad.
Thousands of graduating students are expected to head overseas at the completion of exams later this month, with Bali, Thailand, Malaysia, and China among the more popular destinations.
That has prompted a warning from Australian immigration officials, who say young travellers need to familiarise themselves with the laws of the countries they intend to visit.
"Think about what you will do overseas," said Australian Border Force Regional Commander Rod O'Donnell.
"Understand the laws that apply in the country that you are travelling to.
"You are not in Australia anymore, you are required to obey the laws of that particular country."
Mr O'Donnell said he hoped young travellers would enjoy their school leaver celebrations, but said they needed to be careful not to engage in activities that could place them in jeopardy either abroad or at home.
"If you get approached by anybody, and asked to potentially bring goods back to Australia on their behalf, do them a favour and say no," he said.
'Know before you go'
ABF officials have recently noticed an increase in illegal items being brought back to Australia via south-east Asia, including laser pointers, knuckle dusters and throwing knives.
Mr O'Donnell said while such items may often be legal to purchase in other countries they remained illegal in Australia, and anyone caught bringing them into the country was liable to face prosecution.
"Unless it looks like a nerf gun you are probably not allowed to have it," he said.
He also called on parents to be aware of their children's travel plans before they depart.
"There is an important part for parents to play to educate their young people," he said.
"To sit down with their school leavers before they go overseas, have a good conversation about what they will get up to overseas, understand and go through scenarios."
