Category Archives: Customs

The TPP11 comes into force for the initial six ratifying countries on 30 December 2018 immediately lowering the 5% tariff on most goods from Mexico and Canada and providing tariff relief by eliminating 98% of tariffs in the TPP11 region with the goal that by the end of 2021 the majority of products will be duty-free under the agreement.

As of 1 January 2019, duty rates for all tariff categories covered under the ChAFTA agreement will be duty free.

Supply chains today are incredibly complex. The need for trust and confidence between the people and organisations involved has never been more important. That’s why we sought and attained Australian Trusted Trader accreditation.

The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has again changed the format of packing declarations as a result of bamboo being classified as an acceptable packaging material. Bamboo packaging is now acceptable provided it is treated by an approved method prior to export or on arrival and does not need to be declared as unacceptable packaging.

Happy New Year and of course, Happy Chinese New Year 2018!

China’s most important festival, also known as Spring Festival will be here before you know it. Most businesses in China and Hong Kong (as well as many other Asian nations) close for a week and sometimes longer in order for staff to travel to be with their families for the celebrations. This can cause delays in obtaining Customs Clearance documentation for Australian businesses importing cargo from China and elsewhere in the region.

We wrote in August 2015 advising of the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources’ intention to renew its emphasis on ensuring that importers of timber and timber products complied with the Illegal Logging Act 2012 and the Illegal Logging Prohibition Regulation 2012, by instituting a system of audits.

These regulations aim to reduce the impact of illegal logging on the environment by requiring due diligence in order to reduce the theft, laundering and trade of

As of the 11th of September the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has increased the allowable time between treatment and export from 21 days to six calendar months for treated manufactured wooden articles. As a result, DAWR will now require an additional declaration for manufactured wooden articles that have been treated offshore by heat, fumigation or irradiation methods depending upon how they have been stored after their treatment.

Department of Agriculture and Water Resources has advised that The Biosecurity Act 2015 requires the use of new wording on new packing declarations.

The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) has announced changes to the treatment requirements for goods considered to be highly manufactured wooden articles as they are deemed to pose a low biosecurity risk and can be released with minimal biosecurity intervention.

Recently the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (incorporating AQIS) announced changes in biosecurity reporting obligations and penalties that may be imposed for failing to correctly report goods subject to a biosecurity control.