Body scanners are soon to be installed across all Australian international airports as part of a government plan to beef up anti-terrorism measures.
Legislation allowing for the scanners, designed to locate metal and non-metal items under clothing, will be introduced in federal parliament this week, after the technology was trialled in Sydney and Melbourne.
Once introduced, passengers departing Australia may be required to pass through one of the scanners as part of standard screening processes.
Aside from those with serious medical conditions, any passenger who refuses may be denied the right to board their flight.
Transport Minister Anthony Albanese says there is no need for passengers to be concerned about modesty, as the machines only produce a generic outline, with no defining features.
To further protect people's privacy, the images will not be able to be copied, nor will they be stored.
"It will simply identify the spot on the body where there is something that needs to be checked," Mr Albanese told Sky News on Sunday.
The technology was trialled by 23,000 volunteers in Sydney and Melbourne.
"They were queueing up. People wanted to try out this new technology," Mr Albanese said.
The new technology will be rolled out across airports from July.
The government announced plans to beef up anti-terrorism measures at airports in 2010, after the attempted 2009 Christmas Day attack on a US-bound flight by Nigerian underpants bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
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