Australian Customs and Border Protection Service

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service
Agency overview
Jurisdiction	Government of Australia
Headquarters	Customs House Canberra 35°17′1″S 149°7′55″E
Employees	5,805 (2010)
Annual budget	A$1.09 billion (2010)
Ministers responsible	The Hon. Robert McClelland MP, Attorney-General The Hon. Brendan O'Connor MP, Minister for Home Affairs
Agency executive	Michael Carmody, Chief Executive Officer
Parent Agency	Attorney-General's Department
Website
www.customs.gov.au

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service is the Australian Federal Government agency responsible for managing the security and integrity of the Australian border, facilitating the movement of legitimate international travellers and goods, and collecting border-related duties and taxes.

The minister responsible for the agency is the Minister for Home Affairs (Brendan O'Connor). The Home Affairs portfolio is part of the Attorney-General's Department, overseen by Attorney-General Robert McClelland. The current Chief Executive Officer of the agency is Michael Carmody.

The Service employs over 5,800 people around Australia and overseas and is headquartered in Canberra.

Agency role

Import and export control

Customs controls 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 include using intelligence, computer-based profiling and analysis, detector dogs, Smartgate, container X-Ray facilities, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) monitoring and other means.

Customs officers at air and sea ports, in addition to performing basic immigration control (see below), assess passengers arrival and departure cards, and have the authority to scan and search passenger baggage. Quarantine risk material may be referred to Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service officers.

Goods arriving from overseas by post are cleared by Customs and AQIS officers before being released to Australia Post for delivery.

Customs collects Goods and Services Tax (GST) on taxable goods imported into Australia. Items not subject to GST within Australia, such as basic foodstuffs, are exempt from import GST collection, as are goods that qualify for customs duty concessions.

Customs administers 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.

Immigration control

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service officers perform routine immigration control at Australian airports on behalf of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). Issues arising regarding travel documents or authority to enter Australia are referred to immigration staff at the airport.

Maritime border patrol

Australian Customs ship docked in Darwin, Northern Territory

Australia's borders extend into the 200-nautical-mile (370 km) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where Customs and Border Protection also has a key role in addressing maritime threats through the Border Protection Command (BPC), a Customs and Department of Defence partnership. The Customs Marine Unit maintains a fleet of ocean-going patrol boats known as Australian Customs Vessels (ACVs) and contracts a fleet of long-range aircraft, known as Coastwatch, as the basis for a civil maritime surveillance and response program managed by the BPC.

See also

• Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service

External links

• Australian Customs and Border Protection Service website
• Border Protection Command