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HS 2017 Product Specific Rules of Origin for Free Trade Agreements

On 1 January 2017, some classifications in the Customs Tariff Act 1995 will change as a result of amendments to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS2017). 

Detailed information regarding the changes is available in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection Notice 2016/34.

Further detail will soon be released outlining impacts associated with Free Trade Agreements and the Australian Border Force compliance approach.

Paul Zalai - FTA

Hanjin Update # 29 - the last one ... we hope!

Hanjin Australia is now its final stages, operating with a skeleton staff as they work to reconcile and return the remaining security deposits. Last week Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) assisted with the return of three  security deposits for members. We now have only two members that we are aware of with security deposits remaining. We thank the Hanjin staff for working under difficult circumstances. At one point there was a genuine fear that none of the security deposits would be returned and FTA had considered class action.  We hope that by the end of the week all security deposits will be returned.

GSS Update # 9 - Wehr Trave and Imara update

Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) is working with Hunt & Hunt Lawyers through negotiations with the appointed solicitors of vessel owners ... read more

Feedback on Victoria's draft 30-year infrastructure strategy

In October 2016, Infrastructure Victoria released Victoria's 30-year draft infrastructure strategy, which presented 134 draft recommendations to achieve the strategy's objectives and infrastructure needs. We are please to advise that the submission from Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) was recognised with inclusion of a new recommendation which is "inland rail" and expediting the "Port Rail Shuttle" recommendation to "NOW" ... read more

Travis Brooks-Garrett - FTA

The cargo owner's perspective 

We encourage state governments and new privatised port operators to learn from the Port Botany experience to facilitate improved and competitive port environments. 

Commentaries about road congestion at our ports have dominated debate via Lloyds List Australia in recent weeks. The issues are clearly complex with contrasting views expressed by independent observers, stevedores and transport operator representatives.
 
Below are some thoughts on issues that could improve processes from a cargo owner's perspective.

Transparency of Slot availability

Importers, customs brokers and forwarders are one step removed without any transparency into the Vehicle Booking System (VBS). Stevedores consistently claim there are plenty of available slots. Transport operators claim that they can't get a slot. Who do we believe? 

Maybe a better process would be for the cargo owners to have access to the VBS to book slots and then hand out work to available transport operators. Maybe this is too radical. 

Maybe a more realistic idea is to simply allow cargo owners to have transparency into the VBS so they know the true position in terms of slot availability. 

Stack Runs

Perhaps the answer to free up slots will come now that more transport operators have access to "stack runs" providing dedicated receipt and delivery "off-peak" windows to move large volumes of containers. This practice usually entails staging of cleared cargo into a transport operator's yard with a secondary delivery to the importer.

This is assisting in removing terminal congestion, albeit with many in the supply chain still adjusting to the practice. 

Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) Last week received advice from DP World that an extraordinary high level of containers were "held", causing difficulties in efficiently planning stack runs. 

Whilst some of these held containers are outside the control of industry, subject to border agency intervention, the majority simply had not been entered via the Integrated Cargo System (ICS) or were awaiting EFT payment of duty, GST and Import Processing Charges.
Feedback from DP World was that industry positively responded to the FTA notice urging early ICS payments. 

Times are tough and for cash flow reasons cargo owners understandably want to hold on to payments to the last minute, however early ICS release is necessary to support contemporary logistics operations.

Waiting Time detention

FTA has the privilege of representing cargo owners at the Port Road Taskforce hosted by Transport for NSW (TfNSW). The main focus of the Taskforce is to fine tune the Mandatory Standards associated with the Port Botany Landside Improvement Strategy (PBLIS) which regulates the two-way disciplines on stevedores and transport companies. In effect, penalties are paid from one sector to the other if they do not meet regulations such as failing to service a truck within prescribed turnaround times or turning up early / late for a booked timeslot. 

TfNSW deserves enormous credit for its ongoing and genuine engagement with industry to continually improve the Mandatory Standards and to meet changes in business operations. 

In the PBLIS environment, the only time that waiting time or futile trip costs will be passed on by transport operators is if the stevedore claims an "unforseen event" due to circumstances such as extreme weather or critical systems / machinery failure. 

Importantly, TfNSW investigates each unforseen event to ascertain validity of the claim. 

Truck Turnaround Times

In Port Botany, sophisticated tagging technology is used to measure turnaround times from when trucks enter the port precinct to when they exit the stevedore gate. 

In contrast, stevedores at other ports generally measure turnaround times from when trucks enter and exit the terminal gates. Whilst transport operators all have GPS technology to verify waiting times there is no publicly available or official measure of turnaround time performance. 

Industry feedback is that truck turnaround times are improving, however when things go bad as they have at DP World at Melbourne and Fremanrle in this year's peak period, transport operators are left trying to recover costs and struggle to convince customers of actual versus stevedore reported truck turnaround times.

In last weeks' Lloyds List Australia, an article titled "It's time to ease up on the stevedores"suggested that the efforts of TfNSW did not offer solutions for the recent delays at Hutchison at Port Botany.
 
It is true that Hutch had significant problems and industry was adversely affected by delays. What the article did not address is that PBLIS forced Hutch to directly financially compensate transport operators in the form of penalties for failing to meet Mandatory Standards. 

This a significant step forward rather than having cascading futile transport costs passed down the supply chain to cargo owners.

Regulation

Whilst PBLIS has delivered benefits, many transport operators and stevedores claim that the regulations remain too rigid removing the necessary flexibility to efficiently meet operational requirements.

Perhaps there is a better way forward. 

From a cargo owner's perspective, we would ideally like three fundamental improvements at all Australian stevedore landside operations: 

1. Visibility into the VBS to ascertain slot availability;

2. a "waiting time detention free" port to mirror the outcome that PBLIS has achieved for Port Botany; and

3. true and independent truck turnaround times providing a fairer environment for transport operators and giving cargo owners transparency on operational performance.

To support our ongoing advocacy on these key issues, please share your views either publicly via our blog as published in Lloyds List Australia or direct to me at pzalai@FTAlliance.com.au  

Paul Zalai - FTA

Air Cargo Security Taskforce -  Senior Staffing Arrangements

The Department is now focusing on the transitional tasks that need to continue to ensure successful delivery of the project as we move through 2017. These include continuing communications with exporters and freight forwarders as we approach the second phase of regulatory changes on 1 July 2017, supporting uptake of piece-level screening with industry, bedding down the first wave of known consignor businesses and moving our assessment and compliance activities into business as usual in our Transport Security Operation Branch ... read more

Recruitment

General

12.12.2016 - FTA - CPD & CBC COMPLIANCENETFTA UPDATE

ComplianceNetFTA is the Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) online training portal. An additional 12 CPD points are now available online. These include recorded presentations by the Australian Border Force, the Office of Transport Security and Hunt & Hunt Lawyers from the FTA Spring face to face sessions. ... read more

12.12.2016 - NZ STRATEGIC ALLIANCE CHOOSES 1-STOP

 1-Stop Media Release - NZ strategic alliance chooses 1-Stop.pdf

1-Stop Connections (1-Stop) is the chosen IT solutions provider for the joint venture between Ports of Auckland (POAL) and Port of Napier (PON). 1-Stop is also the provider of choice for container terminals in Australia and the Philippines. ... read more

11.12.2016 - COMPLIANCENETFTA ONLINE TRAINING - ACCESS TO ATTAINMENT RECORDS

Please refer to the PDF attachment for instructions on how to access your ComplianceNetFTA attainment history. ... read more

9.12.2016 - FEEDBACK ON VICTORIAS DRAFT 30-YEAR INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY

In October 2016, Infrastructure Victoria released Victoria's 30-year draft infrastructure strategy, which presented 134 draft recommendations to achieve the strategy's objectives and infrastructure needs. We are please to advise that the submission from Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) was recognised with inclusion of a new recommendation which is "inland rail" and expediting the "Port Rail Shuttle" recommendation to "NOW" ... read more

8.12.2016 - DFAT - TRADETALK

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6.12.2016 - EMPLOYSURE - THE BOTTOM LINE - WORKPLACE RELATIONS UPDATE

How to prepare your business for the festive season. ... read more

6.12.2016 - MCI SOLUTIONS - CHRISTMAS OFFER & FTA BLOOPERS VIDEO

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Border

12.12.2016 - DIBP - NOTICE 2016/37 - APPLICATION FOR CUSTOMS BROKER LICENCE

The following individuals and companies have applied to the Comptroller-General of Customs for a customs broker licence. .... login required

12.12.2016 - ICS AND CEF PROCESSING DELAYS

Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) has received advice that the Integrated Cargo System (ICS) is currently experiencing very high message processing rates. As at 12:15 AEDT users can expect delays of up to 60 minutes for some response messages. ... login required

9.12.2016 - NZ CUSTOMS RELEASE - ISSUE 384

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8.12.2016 - DIBP - PLANNED SYSTEM OUTAGE – FROM 9.45 PM SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER TO 5 AM MONDAY 12 DECEMBER CANBERRA TIME

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7.12.2016 - TC GAZETTE - 2016/47

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7.12.2016 - DIBP - PLANNED SYSTEM OUTAGE – FROM 10 PM SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER TO 5 AM MONDAY 12 DECEMBER CANBERRA TIMES

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Industry

ANTI-DUMPING NOTICES

The Anti-Dumping Commission investigates alleged dumping and subsidisation of goods imported into Australia and imposes duties to address material injury to the Australian Industry that manufactures similar or the same goods. The work of the Commission complies with rules of the World Trade Organization and Australian legislation. ... login required

Sea

12.12.2016 - DP WORLD FREMANTLE - END OF YEAR OPERATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

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11.12.2016 - TERMINAL OPERATIONS FOR DP WORLD MELBOURNE - CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR

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10.12.2016 - GSS UPDATE # 9 - WEHR TRAVE AND IMARA UPDATE

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8.12.2016 - FREMANTLE PORTS - PORTFOLIO DECEMBER 2016 NEWSLETTER OUT NOW

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7.12.2016 - GSS UPDATE # 8 - IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR THOSE WITH CARGO ON THE WEHR TRAVE

For parties affected by the non-arrival of the Wehr Trave - As reported in previous Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) member updates, the vessel owners of the Wehr Trave had planned to sail the vessel to Sydney and discharge all of her cargo there. This offer was contingent on all the cargo interests agreeing to the proposal, including freight costs which were at least double the usual rates.  Less than half the cargo interests agreed to this plan. ... login required

6.12.2016 - SUPPORT REQUIRED TO EASE TERMINAL CONGESTION

ICS EFT payments - Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) has received advice from DP World that an extraordinary high level of containers are "held" which is causing difficulties in organising "stack runs" for large transport operators. This is particularly impacting operations at their Melbourne operations but is undoubtedly also an issue at other ports and for all stevedores. ... read more

6.12.2016 - DP WORLD - END OF YEAR OPERATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
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Air

12.12.2016 - IATA FIATA AIR CARGO PROGRAM GOVERNANCE MANAGER NOMINATED

Name: Joana Isabel Duarte Nunes Coelho, Portuguese citizen. She is the current "Presidente Executiva" of APAT, Portugal's FIATA Association member. She has been nominated by FIATA to become the Governance Manager of the IATA FIATA Air Cargo Programme (IFACP). ... read more

9.12.2016 - FIATA - E-FLASH NO. 140 - 9 DECEMBER 2016
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