Workers who screen cargo and mail entering Australia are being taken off the job to staff airports over the busy Christmas period, Australian Border Force insiders say, raising fears that drugs, firearms and other illicit goods will be freely imported.

One container examination facility is believed to have gone from round-the-clock screening to just one shift per day. Workers also report that cuts to casual staff at airports have already led to long passenger queues.

As the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reported this month, leaked emails from two regional commanders show the Border Force is taking dramatic action in the face of "significant budget pressures", including slashing casual staff by up to two-thirds in some airports.

Australian Border Force staff say air passengers will face long queues as the agency scrambles to fill workforce gaps. Credit:Penny Stephens

Prime Minister Scott Morrison denied the reports, saying “that’s just more storytelling in the media, that’s not what is happening”.