The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service was an Australian federal government agency responsible for managing the security and integrity of the Australian border and facilitating the movement of legitimate international travellers and goods, whilst protecting the safety, security and commercial interests of Australians.[3] It was headquartered in Canberra and employed over 5,800 people around Australia and overseas.[4]
The Service defined its role as follows: “Our role is complex and diverse and requires a very considered and increasingly targeted approach to conducting our business. If we do not manage our responsibilities effectively, the potential impacts… may negatively affect the Australian community, international travellers and trade relations both here and overseas”[5]
The Service was Australia's predominant border control agency. From international travellers at airports, to overseas mail and trade brought in by sea, it was responsible for the continued safety and security of the people and goods that travel across Australia's borders.[6]
In conjunction with the Australian Defence Force, the Service facilitated Australia's response to the detection and rescue of 'suspected irregular entry vessels' that smuggled people from South-East Asia into Australian waters.[7] The agency was also responsible for the discovery and apprehension of 'illegal foreign fishing vessels', the patrol of remote Australian and international waters, and aerial surveillance of Australia's coastline.[8] To achieve these functions, the Service operated its own air and sea patrol unit, the Customs Marine Unit.[citation needed]
Customs controlled the import and export of goods to and from Australia, in particular the control of prohibited or restricted items, and the interception of illegal and potentially harmful goods such as drugs, weapons and computer games. Techniques used to target high-risk aircraft, vessels, cargo, postal items and travellers included using intelligence, computer-based profiling and analysis, detector dogs, Smartgate, container X-ray facilities, closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitoring and other means.[citation needed]
Customs officers at air and sea ports, in addition to performing basic immigration control (see below), assessed passengers arrival and departure cards, and had the authority to scan and search passenger baggage. Quarantine risk material could be referred to Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service officers.[citation needed]
Goods arriving from overseas by post were cleared by Customs and AQIS officers before being released to Australia Post for delivery.[citation needed]
Customs administered the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) for tourists visiting Australia temporarily or Australian residents leaving the country, allowing them, under certain conditions, to claim a refund of the GST or Wine equalisation tax on items purchased in Australia.[10]
People smuggling
The Service was the lead agency in the Australian government's response to people-smuggling and often performed activities on behalf of other agencies[9] including:
Monitoring Australian waters for potential people smuggling vessels
Intercepting boats carrying immigrants without valid visas with Bay Class vessels[11]
Transporting people found in vessels to Australian territory for immigration and quarantine assessment
Coordinating education and awareness campaigns overseas to deter people-smuggling activities
Terrorism
The Service operated under the 'National Counter-Terrorism Plan', which was a plan intended to mitigate any risk of terrorism in Australia. The Service worked in conjunction with other Australian Government departments to screen and target any potential threats moving across the border,[4] including:
Air and sea passengers
Cargo (sea, air and mail)
Maritime surveillance
Remote area patrols
Illegal entry
The Service was responsible for processing all travellers entering[12] and leaving[13] the country. At the border, Service officers would check all passengers to ensure compliance with customs, immigration and quarantine requirements. The Service's purpose was to stop people without correct documentation or visas from entering the country.[citation needed]
Controlled substances
One of the largest areas of work undertaken by the Service was in relation to the importation of narcotics and precursor substances and the smuggling of illegal amounts of tobacco.[4] Examination techniques such as x-ray, trace detection technology and detector dogs were used to screen people, goods, mail, vessels and aircraft moving across Australia's border.
Prohibited material
Australian law prohibits the importing of any material of an offensive, grotesque or otherwise objectionable nature.[4] The Service worked to prevent the importation of material that was either refused classification by the Australian Classification Board, or was unclassified but would likely be refused classification by the Australian Classification Board.[14] This included material in electronic form such as CDs or DVDs, computer hard drives and within electronic games. Prohibited material included, but was not limited to:
Child pornography
Offensive or sexualised violence
Criminal or terrorist material
Drug use
Fetish material
Illegal foreign fishing
The Service was the lead agency coordinating regular patrol (both aerial surveillance and on-water) of Australia's 'Exclusive Economic Zone' to detect and deter any foreign fishing vessels.[15] Along with dedicated in-country education programs designed to deter people from undertaking illegal fishing,[4] the Service's work saw a continual decline in the rates of foreign fishing vessels entering the EEZ.[citation needed]
History
Establishment
The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service had its origins in the Department of Trade and Customs, established at federation in 1901. The organisation was restructured several times since, including becoming the Department of Customs and Excise in 1958 and then briefly the Department of Police and Customs in 1975.[16] Later that same year, the Bureau of Customs was established, which remained the Australian Government's customs agency until 1985 when the Australian Customs Service was established.[16]
In December 2008 then Prime MinisterKevin Rudd announced that the Australian Government would be augmenting, re-tasking and renaming the Australian Customs Service to create the new Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.[17]Royal Assent was given to the changes on 22 May 2009 and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service was established.[1]
Australian Border Force
In 2015, the Australian Government announced changes to the Immigration and Border Protection portfolio in relation to future border protection arrangements. From 1 July 2015, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service were consolidated into a single Department of Immigration and Border Protection. At this time, the Australian Border Force, a single frontline operational border agency, was established within the department. The Australian Border Force draws together the operational border, investigations, compliance, detention and enforcement functions of the two former agencies, as well as policy, regulatory and corporate functions.[Note 1]
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs has been considered as the fiscal subject that charges customs duties and other taxes on import and export. In recent decades, the views on the functions of customs have considerably expanded and now covers three basic issues: taxation, security, and trade facilitation.
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The New Zealand Customs Service is a state sector organisation in New Zealand whose role is to provide border control and protect the community from potential risks arising from international trade and travel, as well as collecting duties and taxes on imports to the country.
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Port security is part of a broader definition concerning maritime security. It refers to the defense, law and treaty enforcement, and counterterrorism activities that fall within the port and maritime domain. It includes the protection of the seaports themselves and the protection and inspection of the cargo moving through the ports. Security risks related to ports often focus on either the physical security of the port, or security risks within the maritime supply chain.
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The Australian Border Force (ABF) is a federal law enforcement agency, part of the Department of Home Affairs, responsible for offshore and onshore border enforcement, investigations, compliance, detention operations and customs services in Australia. Through the ABFs Marine Unit, the ABF performs Coast Guard and marine law enforcement duties and is a component of the Maritime Border Command. The ABF is also part of the National Intelligence Community and is an active member of the World Customs Organization.
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