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Customs Duty Rate Changes for 1 April 2016 – Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement Through the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement, Australia has committed to reduce the rate of customs duty on certain Japanese originating goods. Under this Agreement the rate of customs duty for certain goods will be reduced progressively. The next reduction of customs duty […]

From 1 July 2016 a packed container should not be loaded onto a ship unless the master or his representative and the terminal representative have obtained, in advance of vessel loading, the verified gross mass (VGM) of the container.  WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OBTAINING THE VGM? The shipper is responsible for obtaining and documenting the […]

Importantly, this information and the ATO advice to Shipping Lines and their local Australian Agents, should help to ensure that no GST is applied to port handling services inside the terminal precinct. The ATO accepts that international air and shipping lines should use their contracts for international carriage (i.e. Airway Bills and Bills of Lading, […]

After of a cluster of policy meetings held in Lima over the last two weeks, APEC Senior Officials met on 3-4 March to prioritize the agenda in preparation for the Leaders’ Meeting in November. Senior officials acknowledged that the region’s economy is less robust than it was 6 months ago due to commodity prices that […]

Freight forwarders have received advice from the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO), adopting a recommendation from the Air Navigation Commission, which places an interim prohibition on the carriage of lithium-ion batteries from being shipped as cargo on passenger aircraft, effective April 1, 2016. Lithium metal batteries, which are used in watches, have already been banned […]

Recently we reported that, as from 1st July 2016, strict new rules are to apply to the declaration of exact, verified container weights on shipping documents, placing the onus for correctness on shippers. These controversial rules are to be implemented by the IMO (International Maritime Organization) under the SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) convention. […]

The following information has been provided by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science and is forwarded for your information. “In order to ensure import duty concessions for manufacturing inputs are efficient and effective, the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science is conducting an evaluation of the following items from Schedule 4 of the Customs […]

The TPP Agreement concerns a variety of matters of public policy and its stated goal is to “promote economic growth; support the creation and retention of jobs; enhance innovation, productivity and competitiveness; raise living standards; reduce poverty in our countries; and promote transparency, good governance, and enhanced labour and environmental protections.” The Agreement contains measures […]

The proposal is in response to proposed new arrangements where the requirements will fall under Australian Consumer Law, and FSANZ has prepared a draft food regulatory measure. Pursuant to section 61 of the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991 (FSANZ Act), FSANZ now calls for submissions to assist consideration of the draft food regulatory […]

Border protection issues are high on the shared agenda for both nations in upcoming meetings, with a focus on cross and joint operations and data sharing. This includes tackling maritime security and transnational crime such as drug trafficking, firearms movements, and illegal fishing. The two nations already host an annual bilateral meeting at which senior […]