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Customs Tariff Amendment (Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation) Bill 2012

Introduced into the House of Representatives on 1 November 2012
Portfolio: Home Affairs

1.111        This bill amends the Customs Tariff Act 1995 to give effect to the Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement (MAFTA) by:

• providing free rates of customs duty for goods that are Malaysian originating goods;
• maintaining customs duty rates for certain Malaysian originating goods in accordance with the applicable concessional item; and
• specifying excise equivalent duties on certain alcohol, tobacco and petroleum products.

1.112        The statement of compatibility states that the bill ‘does not engage, impact on, or limit in any way, the human rights and freedoms recognised or declared in the international instruments listed in the definition of human rights at section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011’ and is therefore compatible with human rights. While this bill implements the tariff reductions and other matters that form a central part of implementation of the MAFTA, the provisions of the bill itself do not appear to give rise to specific issues of compatibility with human rights. The broader issues resulting from the MAFTA are raised in the explanatory memorandum accompanying the Customs Amendment (Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation and Other Measures) Bill 2012, and are dealt with in the discussion of that bill above.

1.113        The committee considers the provisions of this bill do not give rise to any specific issues of compatibility with human rights.

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