Mitchell Roath
Hope Island,QLD
Summary
Highly capable and professional Australian Border Force officer with frontline experience in Maritime Operations at the Port of Brisbane, delivering intelligence-led border protection, customs, and immigration compliance outcomes. Demonstrated expertise in vessel and cargo risk assessment, pre-arrival processing, and operational decision-making within a complex, high-risk maritime environment. Proven ability to analyse intelligence, AIS data, voyage histories, and intervention records to identify security, immigration, and customs risks, and to conduct targeted vessel and cargo searches accordingly. Experienced in crew change management, stakeholder engagement, and enforcement of maritime security requirements, with a strong reputation for sound judgment, attention to detail, and professionalism in safeguarding Australia’s border integrity.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
8
8
Certifications
Work History
Maritime Operations
Australian Border Force
Brisbane, Australia
05.2023 - Current
- Perform frontline maritime border protection, customs, and immigration compliance functions within the Port of Brisbane, contributing to Australia’s national security, border integrity, and trade facilitation objectives.
- Action and assess pre-arrival documentation for international vessels, ensuring compliance with Customs, Immigration, and Maritime Security legislation prior to arrival in Australian waters.
- Issue port clearances for departing vessels following comprehensive verification of crew, cargo, and vessel documentation.
- Assess, process, and approve Form 43 and Form 44 requests, authorising the loading and unloading of goods in accordance with legislative requirements, risk profiles, and operational policy.
- Conduct Vessel Travel Risk Assessment System (VTRAS) assessments, undertaking a detailed analysis of vessel, crew, passenger, and cargo information to identify potential customs, immigration, and national security risks.
- Undertake comprehensive, intelligence-led risk assessments using systems, including the National Intelligence System (NIS) and related maritime intelligence platforms, to inform operational decision-making and enforcement activity.
- Analyze Automatic Identification System (AIS) data to identify inconsistencies or anomalies in vessel movements, including unexplained gaps, deviations from declared routes, or irregular speed and positioning patterns.
- Assess intervention history, including the frequency of previous vessel boardings, inspections, and searches, to inform current risk ratings, and determine the need for targeted compliance or enforcement activity.
- Evaluate crew risk factors, including the number of crew members undertaking their first voyage to an Australian port, nationality profiles, and crew movement patterns.
- Assess vessel voyage history, including ports of call at identified high-risk ports, the duration of time spent at anchorage in those ports, and potential exposure to illicit activity.
- Review intelligence and voyage data for any suspected or reported ship-to-ship activity, including unreported transfers or loitering behaviour that may indicate smuggling, or other unlawful conduct.
- Conduct cargo risk assessments and targeted cargo searches, with a particular focus on cargo being discharged in Brisbane that was originally loaded or transited through high-risk ports.
- Perform physical searches of vessels, including accommodation spaces, machinery spaces, cargo holds, and restricted areas, in accordance with legislative powers, safety protocols, and operational procedures.
- Conduct interviews with vessel masters and senior crew members, verifying voyage details, crew movements, cargo declarations, and compliance with Australian border and customs legislation.
- Attend and manage crew change operations at wharves, ensuring that sign-on and sign-off activities occur strictly in accordance with approved requests, specified dates and times, and immigration requirements.
- Conduct Maritime Security Identification Card (MSIC) checks to verify identity, access authority, and compliance within maritime security zones.
- Undertake wharf patrols to maintain port security, detect suspicious behaviour, and ensure compliance with maritime security regulations.
- Complete daily office administration and reporting, including intelligence entries, operational reports, data management, and record keeping, to support compliance, enforcement, and intelligence outcomes.
- Liaise closely with shipping agents, port authorities, stevedores, and partner government agencies to ensure coordinated, timely, and effective maritime operations.
- Operate within a high-risk, intelligence-driven, and compliance-focused environment, exercising sound judgment, discretion, and attention to detail while adhering to legislative frameworks.
IT Technician
CentreRED
07.2019 - 09.2020
- Providing onsite IT Technical support to all CentreRED clients
- Port Patching Network experience
- Setting up and configuring clients laptops, PCs and mobile devices
- Troubleshooting VPN issues
- Experience supporting Microsoft Office 365
- Group Policy Management
- Applying clients access to outlook mailboxes and distribution lists
- Microsoft Exchange experience
- Citrix Troubleshooting
- DFS Scripting
- Monitoring server alerts and reporting server faults.
- Scheduling server alerts
- Creating VPN keys
- Experience working in Azure Active Directory
- Experience using various remote access systems.
- Taking on escalated cases until desired resolution is achieved
- Installing software on clients devices
- Experience troubleshooting printer/MFD faults
- Troubleshooting system and network problems and identifying and solving hardware or software faults
IT Analyst
Department of Social Services
06.2018 - 03.2019
- Providing 1st Level IT Support via phone and email
- Performing appropriate diagnostics to initiate problem management workflow process
- Accurate documentation of calls and incidents in the internal contact management system
- Supporting Microsoft Applications such as Word, Excel and Outlook
- Troubleshooting system and network problems and identifying and solving hardware or software faults
- Troubleshooting VPN issues
- Experience supporting Microsoft Office 365
- Group Policy Management
- Applying permissions for security groups via Active Directory, DFS Scripting & Microsoft Exchange utilities in relation to mailbox/group drive access.
- Taking on escalated cases until desired resolution is achieved
Security Guard - Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions & Australian Bureau of Statistics
SNP Security
05.2017 - 06.2018
- Perform routine internal and external patrols of departmental buildings to monitor and prevent intrusion, damage, hazards and breaches of security.
- Prepare written security reports of daily activities, observations, incidents and security breaches.
- Alarm monitoring for all national offices
- Monitoring CCTV Surveillance systems
- Escorting contractors around site when required
- Issuing staff/visitors with visitor pass, temporary pass and contractor passes
- Issuing new staff with Photo ID/Building access cards
- Key Safe patrols
Department of Defence - Mobile Analyst
Telstra
Mitchell, ACT
04.2016 - 05.2017
- Mobile device management for unclassified Defence mobile phones
- Providing 1st level technical support for iPhones, iPads, wireless modems and departmental mobile phones
- Liaising with Telstra Service delivery teams to raise escalations for Department of Defence users
- Liaising with VIP Support and Protected Mobile ICT teams
- Dispatching new and refurbished devices to Defence staff
- Build rapport with external and internal ICT stakeholders
- Ensuring change requests and incidents are resolved in a timely manner to adhere to service level agreements, and to ensure that tickets do not breach.
IT Senior Analyst
UNISYS
10.2014 - 04.2016
- Providing 1st Level IT Support via phone and email
- Performing appropriate diagnostics to initiate problem management workflow process
- Accurate documentation of calls and incidents in the internal contact management system
- Supporting Microsoft Applications such as Word, Excel and Outlook
- Escalating incidents to the relevant resolver teams for investigation of faults and errors of systems and applications
- Troubleshooting system and network problems and identifying and solving hardware or software faults
- Guiding clients through a series of actions, either over the phone remoted in or via email
- Liaising with Second and Third Level Resolver teams
- Provide exceptional customer service to end users, resolvers and other professionals
- Providing onsite support to VIP clients in regards to high priority escalations
- Weekly reporting of Service Desk tickets, call volumes, and Average talk time records
- Taking on escalated cases until the desired resolution is achieved.
- Prepare and present reports to monitor escalation categories and information
- Ensure escalations and aging cases are managed in an effective and efficient manner
- Ensuring that no tickets assigned to the Service desk breach
- IT Senior Analyst, Escalations/Incident Queue Manager - Department of Immigration and Border Protection
Skills
- Maritime law enforcement and compliance
- Intelligence-led risk assessment
- Analytical and critical thinking
- Operational decision-making
- Vessel boarding and search operations
- Cargo and trade risk assessment
- Interviewing and information gathering
- Maritime security and access control
- Crew movement and immigration compliance
- Intelligence systems and technology
- Stakeholder engagement
- Report writing and documentation
- Attention to detail and integrity
- Adaptability and resilience
- Incident response
- Effective communication
- Vessel inspections
- Problem solving
References
Paul Woodbridge, Senior Border Force Officer, Maritime Operations Brisbane
Email: paul.woodbridge@abf.gov.au
Contact: 0423 720 004
Alex Corte-Real, Senior Border Force officer, Maritime Operations Brisbane
Email: alex.corte-real@abf.gov.au
Contact: 0409 720 648
Certification
ABF Use of Force Permit
Timeline
Maritime Operations
Australian Border Force
05.2023 - Current
IT Technician
CentreRED
07.2019 - 09.2020
IT Analyst
Department of Social Services
06.2018 - 03.2019
Security Guard - Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions & Australian Bureau of Statistics
SNP Security
05.2017 - 06.2018
Department of Defence - Mobile Analyst
Telstra
04.2016 - 05.2017
IT Senior Analyst
UNISYS
10.2014 - 04.2016