FTA ADVOCACY SUCCEEDS IN THE CLASSIFICATION OF CUSTOMS BROKERS & FREIGHT FORWARDERS

I am delighted to advise that an important development has been achieved by Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) gaining recognition of customs broker and freight forwarder occupations through the Australia and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) section within Australian Bureau of Statistics.

BACKGROUND

As outlined in our member notice from 2 May 2023, FTA incorporated extensive member feedback into a submission to the ANZSCO calling for a recognition of the skill level of customs brokers and freight forwarders as part of a "comprehensive review into how Australian occupations are classified, and how it can better reflect the current Australian labour market"

As a part of this submission, FTA developed the below graph (based on Australian Border Force statistics) of licensed customs brokers, demonstrating an alarming aging workforce trend and the concern of not having the required licensed and experienced personnel to handle the projection of over 70 per cent increase in cargo imports to Australia over the next 10 years.

POSITIVE RESPONSE FROM ANZSCO

Earlier this evening (9 August 2023), the ANZSCO Review Team provided feedback of preliminary proposed changes, importantly incorporating suggestions from FTA that was provided in our formal engagement during the first round of public consultation. 

ANZSCO [Preliminary] Proposed Changes - refer HERE (pages 32 and 33)

FTA sees this development as an important milestone to utilise the findings and amendments to the ANZSCO classification to lay the foundation to work with industry, training institutions and government to develop strategies and training opportunities to attract new talent to our industry. 

NEXT STEPS

A final consultation round in mid-2024 will allow stakeholders an opportunity to provide feedback on the complete set of proposed changes, before finalising the classification update for release by December 2024. This critical phase will also present proposed alterations to the classification structure that may involve reorganising or consolidating existing occupation groups, creating new groups for emerging occupations, or adapting the structure to better reflect the relationships between occupations.

As we continue our engagement with the ANZSCO Review Team, we again encourage member feedback to me at bflint@FTAlliance.com.au

Bianca Flint - Member Support - Trade Operations- FTA / APSA