Trials of the SmartGate system in conjunction with the biometric passport technology were expanded in late 2004 from use with Qantas air-crew (which began in 2002), to include over 1,000 Qantas platinum frequent flyers.
On 10 April 2013, the Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, announced that, starting from 2015, holders of Hong Kong SAR e-passports would be able to use SmartGates in Australia on a trial basis.