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At the IATA World Cargo Symposium held in Mexico City in March, suggested changes to the Australian Cargo Agency and Intermediary Program were approved by the IATA Cargo Conference. These recommendations had previously been agreed to by airlines and forwarder representatives through the IATA Australian Cargo Executive Council and General Assembly process. It is now for IATA to determine, in conjunction with their lawyers, which elements will require further immunity from the ACCC in order for them to be incorporated within the new program. We will keep you posted on developments.

On the 2nd April we posted a bulletin from IATA called 'Tracker' which detailed the meeting outcomes from the World Cargo Symposium in Mexico City. To view this document please click here http://www.afif.asn.au/pdf/2007/news/4262005-cargo_newsletter.html

Development of the Northern Lands Freight Precinct at Sydney Airport will commence with a public consultation process, where plans for the proposed development can be viewed for a period of three months. Following approval and building, the complex should be open by approximately 2011. The new facilities will provide a total space of 209,000 m2. In comparison, the capacity for the existing CTOs is 64,000 m2. AFIF is involved in committees liaising with Sydney Airport regarding the landside infrastructure related to these developments. We will keep you posted on progress.

Due to the problems experienced at Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport, authorities have been forced to re-open Bangkok's old Don Muang Airport as of Sunday, April 1st . It is expected that the old airport will handle approximately 140 flights and 18,000 passengers per day. Work continues on the new airport to fix the problems !

As we advised on March 12th, the trial by Australian Customs in conjunction with CSIRO to trial Neutron Scanner (utilising neutron resonance radiography technology) for cargo examination has been completed at Brisbane Airport. Whilst the technology is not at the stage where it can be used in a viable way in its current platform, developers are seeking further funding to build a 'version 2' which it would be hoped would give Customs the ability to use the facility to complement and enhance cargo security screening. We will keep you advised of future developments.

We understand that US authorities have began testing a new x-ray machine at Phoenix that scans passengers for weapons and completes a full body scan displaying images to a human reader in a computer room some distance away! Critics have called it a virtual strip search! The machine will not have the ability to save images which was of major concern to privacy rights groups. Editors note: "We wonder whether there will be a great interest in this product from companies other than border screening authorities ? "

Following talks between Australian DOTARS and United Arab Emirates and Qatar, significant increases in the number of services between the UAE and Australian Airports have been permitted which will be introduced between 2007 and 2011. Please click here to view the tables showing the increased capacity and limitations.

DOTARS have advised they will no longer distribute hard copies of the updated listings of Regulated Air Cargo Agents (RACAs). They will now post this information and update it on their website every 24 hours. Please ensure that your operators check the listing before accepting cargo for air carriage from any regulated agent or transport operator. Please click here to view the relevant page and scroll down to 'Requirements for Those Handling Air Cargo' where you will find the listing as a PDF. http://www.dotars.gov.au/transport/security/cargo/index.aspx

:: SEAFREIGHT

The Ports Minister has called for an independent review of operations at the NSW Port Stevedore Operations to determine, amongst other things, the efficiency and equity of the vehicle booking system (VBS) and container port operations in general. We encourage members to advise us of their specific issues which we can then include in a submission to the review. It may well be that some of our members may be consulted by the independent review team during the course of their work. To read more about this review, please click here

Sydney Ports development program for the Port Botany expansion will be as follows : -

A request for tender will soon be issued and a contractor appointed by late 07. Works will commence in 2008 and it is intended to be finished by 2011. To maximise the efficiency of the expanded port, the plan is to increase rail container traffic from the current 20% to 40% and reduce road from the current 80% of movements to 60% of the total traffic. As part of the program, an upgrade of inland intermodal terminals and commissioning of new ones will be required. Road infrastructure will need major work and either the M5 will need expansion and / or the M4 motorway extension to the city and the port will need to be considered. Another vital factor will be the spreading of working hours and progress has been made when comparing current working arrangements to a 1999 survey. Thepeak traffic during normal business hours to and from the port has flattened out and this graph will need to continue to flatten to alleviate congestion with the expanded port.

FIATA and IATA Join Forces to Improve Security

We trust that you have been opening the links to the Australian Customs Cargo Advice (ACCA) notices we have been advising you of from time to time. These notices outline major system changes to the ICS developed by customs and industry and they are designed to fix identified issues and simplify the cargo reporting process. The two most recent changes relate to 'deficient consignee info holds' and 'service level approach to sea cargo status'. Please click here to view these notices http://www.afif.asn.au/pdf/2007/government/Mar07_IAG_AustCustoms_Cargo_Advice_Notice.htm http://www.afif.asn.au/pdf/2007/government/Mar07_IAGAustCustomsCargoAdviceNotice.htm

 Customs Website

Customs have revamped their cargo support website and claim that it is more user friendly. Some of the new features include larger easier to read menu and wider pages that accommodate more content. In addition, the page will also flag the latest status on ICS (red, green or orange, depicting full functionality, some problems or not functional). There will also be video tutorials on the operating systems and a broader range of topics. Please click here to view http://www.customs.gov.au and then click on cargo support (third menu item down on the left hand side).

 

Peter Yuile, the current Executive Director of AQIS, will shortly be leaving to take up the position of Deputy CEO of Austrade. His replacement will be Steven Hunter, formally the Executive Director of the Bureau of Rural Services.

AQIS have released recent data indicating the national high level contamination rate for imported sea freight containers is down to 1.03 percent. (Those containers required to go for cleaning). S. Queensland and NSW are below the average. The overall bill for cleaning the contaminated containers is around $5 mil. In comparison to the cost in 2001/2 of $20 mil this is a considerable saving and demonstrates the progressive success of the program.

As per advice from Hunt & Hunt Lawyers and posted to our website on March 2nd, a recent decision by Horsham Magistrates Court (Victoria) to penalise a transport company, for breaches under the 'Chain of Responsibility legislation', will have a significant impact on the transport industry. Please click here to view the full article http://www.afif.asn.au/pdf/2007/news/Employment_Chain_Responsibilty_Mar07.pdf

Members would by now have received the AFIF 2007 conference brochure and are busy filling out your registration forms ?! If not and you would like to receive the printed brochure please send us a quick email to afif@afif.asn.au or click on the following link to the conference website http://www.afif.asn.au/events_AFIF2007.asp to view and register on-line.

 

Please click here to view the Latest great special holiday offers from TATS for AFIF members to enjoy

* Mertius Luxious Resort, Langkawi Malaysia: 5 nights http://www.afif.asn.au/pdf/2007/news/MalaysianMeritusLangkawiafif.pdf

* Bandara Resort, Samui, Thailand: 6 nights http://www.afif.asn.au/pdf/2007/news/bandarathai_package_AFIF.pdf

* Phuket La Flora Resort, Thailand: 4 nights http://www.afif.asn.au/pdf/2007/news/laflora_thai_afif_package.pdf

* Tubkaak Resort, Krabi, Thailand: 4 nights http://www.afif.asn.au/pdf/2007/news/laflora_thai_afif_package.pdf

Please click here to go to the relevant information at our Website:http://www.afif.asn.au/news_travelhotels.asp