The nature of cargo security is a constantly evolving task and your AFIF representatives are very active in regular meetings with Government, through our participation in the Federal Government Office of Transport (OTS) Supply Chain Security Air Cargo Working Group.

The stage is set for the next major development to strengthen the air cargo supply chain, with the development of a proposed Regulated Shipper Scheme (RSS) and the Enhanced Air Cargo Examination (EACE) program. In this regard, the OTS has recently released two key pieces of work for industry's information and/or comment.  Members who are currently accredited as either a RACA or an AACA would have received this information directly.  All comments will be considered as part of the development of the Government required Regulation Impact Statement (RIS).

The AFIF aircargo sub-committee members have since met and developed a submission to the Government in regard to the discussion paper and we commend this Draft paper to you for your own information and guidance. Please click here to see the document.

The AFIF submission may not necessarily reflect the views of your organisation independently, nor the whole air cargo community or its customers.  It is, however, a view from experienced practitioners who have been close to the various scenarios evolving around supply chain security, both in Australia and globally and includes key forwarding concerns to be considered in the discussion.  The Government is also very keen to hear more from the shippers themselves and we encourage you to share this discussion paper with your customers, some of whom may have received this directly from the OTS already.  Comments on the paper must be submitted to the OTS by Sunday 28 April 2013.

Here is a summary and additional information as supplied by the OTS:

1.   Discussion Paper

The Discussion Paper: "Building a More Secure End-to-End Supply Chain for Our Australian Air Cargo Exports" outlines the key policy changes in the Securing the air cargo supply chain framework for international export air cargo.  Before the new framework is put into place, the OTS invite industry members to provide feedback on what the proposed measures mean for your business and/or the changes in general.

The Discussion Paper is a key piece of industry consultation, the feedback from which will inform the Government Regulation Impact Statement and ensure that the final security framework is appropriate for the Australian context.

To read the paper and have your say, click here

Short factsheets are also available on the OTS website to aid industry in understanding the proposed measures. Click here to go to the relevant Webpage: http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/security/cargo/

Should you or your customers have queries about the Discussion Paper, please contact the Department on:

Phone:     1800 007 024
Email:      supplychaininformation@infrastructure.gov.au
Visit:        www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/security/cargo
Comments on the paper must be submitted by Sunday 28 April 2013.

2.   EACE Equipment List and Policy Statement

The OTS have also released an Enhanced Air Cargo Examination (EACE) Policy Statement and an Australian Air Cargo Examination Equipment List (ACEEL).

The EACE Policy Statement will provide background and context to industry members regarding the proposed examination requirements for international export air cargo, and assist industry to make decisions about their potential future involvement in EACE.  The ACEEL contains examination equipment known to currently meet the Department's requirements for the enhanced examination of international air cargo.

The ACEEL should be read in conjunction with the EACE Policy Statement.  While distribution of the EACE documents is restricted due to the security nature of the content, they will be made available through the Govdex website (www.govdex.gov.au) to all relevant industry participants that may be interested in conducting EACE under the new air cargo security framework.
To obtain access to the EACE Policy Statement and the ACEEL industry participants should contact the EACE policy team at:eace@infrastructure.gov.au
 
The OTS have stated that these documents represent many months of research, industry and related consultation and policy work and that they are important steps in moving towards the new air cargo supply chain security framework.

We strongly encourage you to consider the content of the Discussion Paper and provide your feedback via the formal submission processes so that it can be considered by Government in the Regulation Impact Statement (RIS).

Please consider these issues and their likely impact on you most carefully. We would also welcome any input to our proposed Draft Submission.

 

Thank you and regards,