The Department of Defence announced that as part of a risk-based approach to export licensing, the Defence Export Control Office (DECO) has developed Australian General Export Licences or AUSGELs that enable the export of a range of controlled goods, software and technologies to certain countries for certain purposes. AUSGELs are valid for five-years. When applying for an AUSGEL, there is no requirement to list the goods and end-users as an exporter would in an ordinary…
On November 5, 2015, President Obama formally notified Congress of his intention to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, starting the 90 day statutorily required period for public review before he can sign the agreement. His notice of November 5, 2015, was published in the Federal Register on November 9, 2015. The Letters to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate read as follows: Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) Consistent…
On November 5, 2015, several of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) signatories posted the official texts of the TPP’s 30 chapters, annexes and tariff schedules. Several also posted the bilateral procedural documents (side texts, understandings and letter exchanges) that apply to them. The TPP text is still to undergo a process of legal review, translation and verification. The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is the Official Depositary and has the individual…
On 26 October 2015, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) Notice No. 2015/35 (26 October 2015) announced that DIBP is undertaking a comprehensive review of all licensing regimes under the Customs Act 1901 (Customs Act). The Review of customs licensing regimes discussion paper provides further details on how to provide a submission, and covers a range of issues on which DIBP seeks information and feedback. The objectives of the review are to: review the…
On October 26, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it and enforcement agencies from seven other countries launched a new information-sharing system that will enable them to better coordinate international efforts in protecting consumer privacy. The announcement said: On Sunday October 25, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez joined representatives from several agencies, which are members of the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN), in signing a Memorandum of Understanding among users of the new system,…
On October 5, 2015, the White House announced that Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, New Zealand, the United States, and Vietnam, agreed to the largest regional trade accord in history. The original negotiations were to end last week, but were extended over the weekend because agreement on the remaining issues appeared to be within reach. [Details will be available later. A Joint Ministerial press release was issued at a Press Conference…
The Australian government announced that on June 17, 2015, the Australian and Chinese governments signed the long-awaited China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) in a ceremony in Canberra. The historic agreement was signed by Australia’s Trade Minister Andrew Robb and China’s Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng and completed ten years of negotiations and followed the Declaration of Intent signed in November 2014 by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Both countries must now complete…