News

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) has issued notice 97-2018 – regarding changes to Chinese Competent Authority issuing certificates. From 21st August 2018, a new Chinese government authority will issue official government certification. The entry-exit inspection and quarantine duties of the People’s Republic of China are currently managed by the General Administration of […]

The Indonesian government under the Ministry of Finance has announced regulation No. 158/PMK.04/2017, which took effect for all vessels arriving there after May 2018. The regulation requires the Bill of Lading to show Consignee’s/Importer Tax ID Number & Cargo HS Code (first 4 digits) when submitting the manifest/import document to the port of authority/customs office. All Bill of Ladings […]

Malcolm Turnbull had been due to travel to Indonesia next week as part of a trip through South-East Asia and the Pacific. Officials felt they could resolve lingering disagreements on the FTA by then, and were planning for Mr Turnbull and Indonesian leader Joko Widodo to announce during the visit that the two nations had […]

The ATT recognises businesses with a secure supply chain and compliant trade practices, and rewards them with a range of exclusive trade facilitation benefits.   In an address at the Symposium’s gala dinner last week, government representatives said the ATT program continues to grow, demonstrating its significant benefits and the competitive edge it provides in […]

The Australian Border Force (ABF) is continuing its operational focus on trade enforcement, seizing ten Chinese-made pianos falsely claiming to be Australian made. The pianos were to be transhipped back to China and would likely have been passed off as “Australian Made”. The instruments arrived into Brisbane in June 2018 and carried a number of […]

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Transportation Security Administration has advised that the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) program went into effect this week. It requires the submission of advanced air cargo information on shipments arriving in the United States from foreign locations, including Australia. Having been a voluntary process until now, the […]

In The Conversation last week (30th April) two lecturers from Monash University, Giovanni Di Lieto, lecturer of international trade law at Monash Business School, and David Treisman, lecturer in Economics, Bachelor of International Business at Monash Business School, asserted that small businesses need to be able to see how trading internationally will contribute to their […]

Biosecurity officers at Perth Airport recently discovered some unwanted pests when they inspected a parcel of personal effects sent from Thailand. They were alerted by an Australia Post staff member who spotted an ant crawling on the outside of the parcel. What they found inside was a large number of exotic tramp ants (Monomorium salomonis). […]

A consortium of European companies involved in the Customs and Forwarding industry has successfully tested a blockchain system that can eliminate the need for printed shipping documents and save the freight and logistics industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The consortium tested a method where documents are no longer exchanged physically or digitally, but […]

The Department of Home Affairs (DoHA) is considering whether every package imported into Australia should be hit with a new levy, to help cover the costs of screening items at the border. GST already applies for packages worth more than $1,000.00, but the Government’s plan would see shoppers having to shell out the extra charge […]