News

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) is still drafting measures for the coming Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) season, for goods shipped on or between 1 September 2018 and 30 April 2019. Sixteen countries in Europe are affected by BMSB but it is not naturally found in Australia – and DAWR is anxious […]

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 Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR), Compliance Division, is implementing a Highly Compliant Importer Project (HCIP). They have announced this in their Notice 71-2018 (10th July 2018) which is issued for the benefit of all importers and customs brokers who lodge imported cargo to the DAWR for biosecurity assessment. The HCIP introduces an […]

 From 1st July 2018, overseas vendors (including merchants, electronic distribution platforms, and re-deliverers) that meet GST registration requirements will be required to charge and collect GST at the point of sale on eligible goods. There will be no changes to: • the AUD1,000 threshold for reporting and collection of duties and taxes at the border; […]

A month ago, we reported that Australia was set to commence trade talks with the European Union. Now the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)) has issued a media release confirming the Australian Government has officially launched negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement with the EU. The statement, issued jointly by the Prime Minister […]

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has said that it will not facilitate the clearance of goods that require an import permit under Biosecurity legislation, as stipulated in the Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) system, where those goods arrive in Australian territory without a valid import permit. Goods that require a permit, but arrive without […]

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 […]

The 268-metre Liberian ship, YM Efficiency, lost about 83 containers thirty kilometres off the coast near Port Stephens. Large waves washed debris, including nappies, sanitary products and surgical masks, onto beaches last weekend. Volunteers have been clearing carloads of debris from Jimmys and Bennetts beaches at Hawks Nest over the past week since the accident […]

As freight forwarders we have been advised by major shipping lines, such as Maersk, and major airlines such as Qantas, that we need to supply them with new additional information prior to lodging exports. Those requirements are briefly summarised here – please talk to us when you are ready to book cargo to these areas. […]

Australia is in free trade talks with the EU after its governing council gave its official authorisation this week. The Australian trade minister has said we would aim for a high-quality, comprehensive free trade deal with the European Union in as quick a time as possible but would not sacrifice the quality of a trade […]