News

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) intends to implement interim import conditions for uncooked prawns and uncooked prawn meat commodities when the suspension of imports of raw prawns (i.e. those that are uncooked, frozen and have had the head and shell removed (the last shell segment and tail fans permitted)) lapses on 6 […]

There will be an increase in the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) threshold limit for the 2017-18 financial year. The LCT is a tax of 33% imposed on luxury cars over the luxury car tax threshold, which is indexed annually. LCT is generally payable when a car is sold or imported at the retail level. It […]

The rules around labelling of imported food have changed to make it easier for consumers to see where their food comes from. Imported food is classified as food not grown, produced, made or packed in Australia. This change means many foods sold in Australian supermarkets and retail outlets must carry a new label that clearly […]

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) reminds clients that it will no longer accept ‘Prohibited packaging material’ statements from 16 June 2017. The recently passed “Biosecurity Act 2015” has placed restriction on the use of the term ‘prohibited’ in relations to packing material.  Therefore ‘PROHIBITED packaging material statement’ has been replaced by ‘UNACCEPTABLE […]

The passage of the Treasury Laws Amendment (GST Low Value Goods) Bill 2017 through Parliament was referred to the Senate Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry. The proposed legislation is to amend the law to give effect to the 2016-17 Budget decision to apply GST to low value (under $1,000) goods imported by consumers. The Committee […]

In March, a collection of rare flowering plants sent by the Museum of Natural History in Paris to Queensland’s herbarium in Brisbane was incinerated. Michelle Waycott, who chairs the Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria, said the pressed plant specimens dated back to the mid-1800s. “They were the first type specimens collected of a species,” […]

The shipments, both from Canada, will be held by Pharmaceutical Packaging Professionals in Victoria and Health House International in Western Australia. They are the first under the Federal government’s policy to allow controlled importation of medicinal cannabis for approved patients. Since the measure was introduced in February, thirty permits have been granted to import cannabis […]

While Australia already has an FTA with China, a comprehensive agreement with the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Hong Kong would offer Australian service providers the ability to set up in the more highly-regulated and protected business environment there, while trading freely with China. Barring a number of goods – such as alcoholic spirits – […]

Amid speculation that international giants such as Amazon and Uber may be about to launch their own global freight brokerage businesses, Amazon has now announced it will be commencing full-scale retail operations in Australia. They are initially looking for warehouse floor space of up to 93,000 square metres, to be situated in one of the […]

The department (DAWR) has announced upcoming changes to the inspection and analysis of bivalve molluscs under the Imported Food Inspection Scheme. Bivalve molluscs are foods such as clams, cockles, mussels, oysters, pipi and scallops. From 10 May 2017, the department will analyse retorted (canned) bivalve molluscs for both domoic acid and paralytic shellfish poison (PSP […]