14 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

This notice is of interest to all vessel masters and shipping agents who represent international commercial and non-commercial vessels for the purposes of Australian biosecurity clearance.

What has changed?

To assist the department in managing the Australian Government’s response to novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Maritime Arrivals Reporting System’s (MARS) pre-arrival report (PAR) for commercial vessels has been updated. There are now three additional mandatory COVID-19 questions to be answered.

14 February 2020

Purpose

This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to advise the carrot industry that applications are now open for the accreditation of farms and packhouses to export carrots to Taiwan in 2020. 

14 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

All shipping agents or operators of maritime conveyances who will be required to report pre-arrival information during this planned outage.

Information

Due to urgent scheduled maintenance, the Maritime Arrivals Reporting System (MARS) will be unavailable from 23:00 Saturday 15 February to 00:30 Sunday 16 February 2020 (AEDT).

Action

Clients are advised to await the completion of this maintenance period before attempting to access this service.

13 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

Importers and brokers of:

• Dried onions from all countries
• Fresh and chilled Agaricus mushrooms from New Zealand
• Fresh and chilled permitted species of mushrooms and truffles
• Fresh blueberries from New Zealand
• Fresh immature corn from all countries

What has changed?

The department is incorporating a number of new commodities onto the Compliance Based Intervention Scheme (CBIS). This change is scheduled to take effect on 13 February 2020.

12 February 2020

Purpose

This Industry Advice Notice (IAN) is to notify stakeholders who interact face-to-face with the department that our three Melbourne offices will relocate to a single premises in mid-2021.

Summary of changes and key points

The following Melbourne offices will relocate to a single premises at the Younghusband Woolstore site, 10 Elizabeth Street KENSINGTON VIC 3031, in mid-2021:

The Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) entered into force on 5 July 2020. The agreement put in place reduced tariffs for exports of vegetables.

Quotas under the IA-CEPA cover:

• carrots
• potatoes

Key dates

The quota year runs in line with the calendar year.

The Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) entered into force on 5 July 2020. The agreement put in place reduced tariffs for exports of citrus fruit. Quota is available on a first-come, first-served (FCFS) basis until the access amount is exhausted.

Quotas under the IA-CEPA cover:

10 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

All importers of plants, cats and/or dogs who will be required to use the Post Entry Biosecurity System during this planned outage.

Information

Due to scheduled maintenance, the Post Entry Biosecurity System (PEBS) will be unavailable from 23:30 Wednesday 12 February to 05:30 Thursday 13 February 2020 (AEDT).

Action

Clients are advised to await the completion of this maintenance period before attempting to access this service.

10 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

All clients required to use the department’s Biosecurity Import Conditions (BICON) system during this planned maintenance period.

All importers and customs brokers who will be required to lodge imported cargo documentation to the department for biosecurity assessment during this planned outage.

All shipping agents or operators of maritime conveyances who will be required to report pre-arrival information during this planned outage.

10 February 2020

Who does this notice affect?

Clients in the import and shipping industries—including freight forwarders, importers and customs brokers—associated with importing goods that require BMSB treatment during the BMSB risk season (goods shipped between 1 September 2019 that arrive in Australian territory by 31 May 2020 (inclusive).