Customs Amendment (Anti-Dumping Measures) Act 2017

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Legislation au C2017A00119 In force Act

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Customs Amendment (AntiDumping Measures) Act 2017

 

No. 119, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to amend the Customs Act 1901, and for related purposes

 

 

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Schedules

Schedule 1—Amendments

Customs Act 1901

 

 

 

Customs Amendment (Anti-Dumping Measures) Act 2017

No. 119, 2017

 

 

 

An Act to amend the Customs Act 1901, and for related purposes

[Assented to 30 October 2017]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act is the Customs Amendment (AntiDumping Measures) Act 2017.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

Commencement information

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Provisions

Commencement

Date/Details

1.  Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table

The day this Act receives the Royal Assent.

30 October 2017

2.  Schedule 1

The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

31 October 2017

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3  Schedules

  Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

 

Customs Act 1901

1  Subsection 269TAB(1A)

Repeal the subsection.

2  After subsection 269TAB(2)

Insert:

 (2A) If an export price of goods exported to Australia is being ascertained for the purposes of conducting a review of antidumping measures under Division 5, the price may, despite subsection (1), be determined by the Minister in accordance with subsection (2B) if:

 (a) the price is being ascertained in relation to an exporter of those goods (whether the review is of the measures as they affect a particular exporter of those goods, or as they affect exporters of those goods generally); and

 (b) the Minister determines that there is insufficient or unreliable information to ascertain the price due to an absence or low volume of exports of those goods to Australia by that exporter having regard to the following:

 (i) previous volumes of exports of those goods to Australia by that exporter;

 (ii) patterns of trade for like goods;

 (iii) factors affecting patterns of trade for like goods that are not within the control of the exporter.

Note: If there is an absence of exports of those goods to Australia by that exporter, the Minister may deem such exports to have taken place for the purposes of ascertaining an export price: see subsection (2C).

 (2B) For the purposes of subsection (2A), the export price of those goods is the price determined by the Minister to be the export price, having regard to any of the following:

 (a) the export price for the goods exported to Australia by the exporter established in accordance with subsection (1) of this section for a decision of a kind mentioned in subsection (2D);

 (b) the price paid or payable for like goods sold by the exporter in arms length transactions for exportation from the country of export to a third country determined by the Minister to be an appropriate third country;

 (c) the export price for like goods exported to Australia from the country of export by another exporter or exporters established in accordance with subsection (1) of this section for a decision mentioned in subsection (2D).

 (2C) For the purposes of conducting the review of antidumping measures under Division 5, if there is an absence of exports of those goods to Australia by the exporter, the Minister may deem such exports to have occurred for the purposes of applying subsections (2A) and (2B) of this section.

 (2D) For the purposes of paragraphs (2B)(a) and (c), the decisions are the following:

 (a) deciding to publish a notice under any of the following provisions:

 (i) subsection 269TG(1) or (2) (dumping duties);

 (ii) subsection 269TJ(1) or (2) (countervailing duties);

 (iii) subsection 269ZDB(1) (reviews of antidumping measures);

 (iv) subsection 269ZDBH(1) (anticircumvention inquiries);

 (v) subsection 269ZG(3) (accelerated review);

 (vi) subsection 269ZHG(1) (continuation of antidumping measures);

 (b) any other decision under this Act of a kind prescribed by the regulations.

 (2E) For the purposes of paragraph (2B)(c), the decision must be a decision made during the period:

 (a) beginning 2 years before the day the Commissioner published notice of the review under subsection 269ZC(4), (5) or (6); and

 (b) ending on the day notice of the review is published under subsection 269ZDB(1).

 (2F) Without limiting the generality of the matters that may be taken into account by the Minister in determining whether a third country is an appropriate third country for the purposes of paragraph (2B)(b), the Minister may have regard to the following matters:

 (a) whether the volume of trade from the country of export to the third country is similar to the volume of trade from the country of export to Australia;

 (b) whether the nature of the trade in goods concerned between the country of export and the third country is similar to the nature of trade between the country of export and Australia.

 (2G) If the export price of goods exported to Australia has been ascertained under subsection (2B), the export price may be subject to such adjustments that the Minister determines are necessary to reflect what the export price would have been had there not been an absence or low volume of exports, including:

 (a) adjustments due to exports (on which the export price is based) relating to earlier times; or

 (b) adjustments due to exports (on which the export price is based) relating to not identical goods.

3  At the end of section 269TAB

Add:

 (6) For the purposes of paragraphs (1)(a) and (2B)(b), the reference in those paragraphs to the price paid or payable for goods is a reference to that price after deducting any amount that is determined by the Minister to be a reimbursement of the kind referred to in subsection 269TAA(1A) in respect of that transaction.

4  Application of amendments

 The amendments made by this Schedule apply in relation to the following:

 (a) a review under Division 5 of Part XVB of the Customs Act 1901 for which an application is lodged, or request is made, on or after the commencement of this Schedule;

 (b) such a review that was being undertaken immediately before the commencement of this Schedule but for which a declaration in accordance with subsection 269ZDB(1) of that Act had not been made at that time;

 (c) an application for such a review that was lodged, or a request for such a review that was made, before the commencement of this item but for which a notice of a review under subsection 269ZC(4), (5) or (6) of that Act had not been made at that commencement.

 

 

 

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 13 September 2017

Senate on 17 October 2017]

 

(217/17)

 

Overview

The Customs Amendment (Anti-Dumping Measures) Act 2017 is an Act enacted by the Parliament of Australia to amend the Customs Act 1901, specifically addressing issues related to the ascertainment of export prices in anti-dumping measures. This legislation was introduced to address the problem of insufficient or unreliable information when determining export prices due to the absence or low volume of exports of certain goods to Australia. The Act aims to provide the Minister with the flexibility to determine export prices in such circumstances, ensuring that the review of anti-dumping measures can proceed effectively. The Act received Royal Assent on 30 October 2017 and its amendments commenced the following day on 31 October 2017. These amendments apply to reviews for which an application or request is lodged on or after the commencement date, as well as to ongoing reviews that were initiated prior to the commencement date but had not yet been formally declared.

Scope and Application

The Customs Amendment (Anti-Dumping Measures) Act 2017 amends the Customs Act 1901 to modify the process for ascertaining export prices during reviews of anti-dumping measures. This Act applies to any review of anti-dumping measures for which an application is lodged or a request is made on or after the commencement of the amendments, as well as to reviews that were being undertaken immediately before the commencement but for which certain formal declarations had not yet been made. It also applies to applications or requests made before the commencement of the amendments but for which formal notices of review had not been issued at that time. The Act allows the Minister to determine the export price of goods if there is insufficient or unreliable information due to an absence or low volume of exports to Australia, taking into account factors such as previous export volumes, trade patterns, and uncontrollable factors affecting trade. The Act is applicable nationally as it pertains to the federal Customs Act 1901 and its amendments. There are no specific exclusions or exemptions stated in the Act, but it allows for adjustments to the determined export price to account for various factors that might affect its accuracy.

Key Provisions

The Customs Amendment (Anti-Dumping Measures) Act 2017 primarily amends the Customs Act 1901 by altering the procedures for ascertaining export prices in reviews of anti-dumping measures. Section 1 of the Act repeals subsection 269TAB(1A) of the Customs Act 1901, which previously detailed the methods for determining export prices. Instead, section 2 introduces a new subsection 269TAB(2A) that allows the Minister to determine the export price if there is insufficient or unreliable information due to an absence or low volume of exports by the particular exporter. This decision can be based on several factors, including the export price for goods exported to Australia by the exporter, the price paid for like goods in arm's length transactions in a third country, or the export price for like goods exported by another exporter. The amended Act imposes specific obligations on the Minister in conducting reviews of anti-dumping measures. If the Minister determines that there is insufficient or unreliable information due to an absence or low volume of exports, they must ascertain the export price according to subsection 269TAB(2B). The Minister may consider various factors in determining an appropriate third country for comparison purposes, such as the volume and nature of trade between the country of export and the third country. Additionally, if the export price has been ascertained under subsection 269TAB(2B), the Minister may make necessary adjustments to reflect what the export price would have been without the absence or low volume of exports. Failure to comply with the provisions of the Customs Amendment (Anti-Dumping Measures) Act 2017 could result in civil or administrative penalties. While the specific penalties are not detailed in the provided text, breaches of anti-dumping laws generally carry significant financial penalties under the Customs Act 1901. These can include fines and other sanctions, which may vary depending on the nature and severity of the breach. The Minister's authority to determine export prices and make necessary adjustments is pivotal in ensuring the effectiveness of anti-dumping measures, thereby protecting domestic industries from unfair trade practices.

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