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Australia – Iran sanctions changes

By 1 Min Read

  The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has announced that the Australian Government is implementing changes to Australia’s sanctions on Iran in line with our international obligations under UN Security Council resolutions. The Australian Government will apply the changes to UN sanctions on Iran as required by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, although others will remain in place. The Australian Government has decided to suspend certain autonomous sanctions on Iran, while others will remain…

TPP to be signed on 4 February in New Zealand

By 1 Min Read

  On 21 January 2016, the New Zealand Trade Minister, Todd McClay, confirmed that his Government is planning to host the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in New Zealand on Thursday 4 February. New Zealand has issued invitations to TPP Ministers to sign the Agreement in Auckland.  Mc Clay indicated that  the signing will mark the end of the TPP negotiating process and will permit all 12 countries (Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia,…

Australia – Amendments to the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 – Firearms and Weapons

By 3 Mins Read

  Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) Notice 2015/40 dated 15 December 2015, announces that the  Customs (Prohibited Imports) Amendment (Firearms and Other Weapons) Regulation 2015 (Amendment Regulation) has now become law. This Amendment Regulation affects the lawful importation of certain firearms and weapons in certain circumstances under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 (the PI Regulations). The Notice states: The changes to the PI Regulations are mostly deregulatory to improve the defence and law…

Australia – DIBP issues summary of China- Australia FTA rules of origin

By 2 Mins Read

  Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) Notice 2015/41 dated 15 December 2015, summarises the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) rules of origin (ROOs)which are effective when ChAFTA enters into force on 20 December 2015. The Customs Tariff Act 1995 (Customs Tariff), as amended by the Customs Tariff Amendment (China-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation) Act 2015 (the Act), will allow duty free entry of many Chinese originating goods when ChAFTA is implemented. Preferential treatment will…

US – USTR publishes TAA thresholds for CY 2016-2017

By 3 Mins Read

  On December 15, 2015, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) published in the Federal Register a notice of determination of procurement thresholds for calendar years 2016 and 2017. Executive Order 12260 requires the USTR to set the U.S. dollar thresholds for application of Title III of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2511 et seq.), which implements U.S. trade agreement obligations, including those under the WTO Agreement on Government…

Changes to licence charges from 1 January 2016

By 2 Mins Read

Department of Immigration and Border Protection Notice 2015/37 of 2 December 2015 announces that from 1 January 2016, charges associated with the application for and renewal of licences for customs brokers, depots and warehouses, will change. These changes were announced by the Government as part of the 2015-16 Commonwealth Budget following the Joint Review of Border Fees, Charges and Taxes, which involved significant engagement and consultation with industry. The changes to take effect from…

Australia – Government restructures Import Processing Charges

By 2 Mins Read

As part of the 2015-16 Commonwealth Budget, the Government has decided to restructure the Import Processing Charges (IPCs) in order to support a number of significant reforms. The IPCs are cost recovery based and are aimed at improving the integrity of the border while removing cross-subsidisation and delivering efficiencies to industry. There are two changes being employed to the current IPC arrangements: Removal of the current price differential between air/post and sea cargo pathways.…

Australia – Reforms to the anti-dumping system

By 1 Min Read

Anti-dumping Notice 2015/129 announced that on 2 November 2015, a range of reforms to the anti-dumping system commenced. The announcement stated: The reforms strengthen and modernise Australia’s anti-dumping laws to ensure that Australia’s manufacturers and producers are competing on a level playing field and that our laws are consistent with Australia’s obligations under the World Trade Organization’s Anti-Dumping Agreement and Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (WTO agreements). These reforms were first announced by the…

US – USITC Begins Assessment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

By 2 Mins Read

On November 17, 2015, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) announced that has instituted an investigation to assess the likely impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement that the President has announced he intends to enter into with Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. The investigation, Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors (Investigation No. TPA-105-001), was requested by the U.S.…

Australia – Guidance on new export control requirements from the Defence Trade Controls Act 2012 is available

By 1 Min Read

New export controls for supplying and publishing Defence and Strategic Goods List (DSGL) technology and for brokering DSGL goods and technologies are undergoing an implementation period and will come into force on 2 April 2016. Individuals and organisations can apply for permits now in preparation for the new controls. Guidance information, to help individuals and organisations learn about the new export controls, is available on: Supply of Export Controlled Technology Publication of Export Controlled Technology…