Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations (Amendment)

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Statutory Rules

1975 No. 183

REGULATION UNDER THE CUSTOMS ACT 1901-1975.*

I, THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL of Australia, acting with the advice of the Executive Council, hereby make the following Regulation under the Customs Act 1901-1975.

Dated this fourth day of September, 1975.

JOHN R. KERR

Governor-General.

By His Excellency’s Command,

J. L. CAVANAGH

Minister of State for Police and Customs.

_________

Amendment of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations†

After regulation 4f of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations the following regulations are inserted:—

Prohibition of importation of certain articles of clothing from Republic of Korea.

“ 4g. (1) In this regulation—

‘ prescribed articles of clothing ’ means knitted coats, knitted jumpers, knitted cardigans, knitted sweaters, knitted pullovers, knitted blouses, knitted shirts (not being undergarments) or knitted dresses being coats, jumpers, cardigans, sweaters, pullovers, blouses, shirts or dresses that contain any prescribed fibre;

‘ prescribed fibre ’ means cotton fibre, wool fibre or man-made fibre.

“ (2) Subject to sub-regulation (3), the importation into Australia of prescribed articles of clothing manufactured in the Republic of Korea is prohibited unless—

(a) the importer produces to the Collector an export visa issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Korea in respect of the exportation of those articles of clothing from the Republic of Korea to Australia; or

(b) each such article contains an amount of a fibre, other than a pre­scribed fibre, the percentage by weight of which in relation to the total weight of the article equals or exceeds the percentage by weight in relation to the total weight of the article of the amount of any other fibre in the article that is a prescribed fibre.

 

* Notified in the Australian Government Gazette on 16 September 1975.

† Statutory Rules 1956, No. 90. as amended by Statutory Rules 1958, Nos. 6 and 67; 1959, Nos. 17, 31 and 93; 1960, No. 22; 1961, No. 117; 1962, No. 82; 1963, No. 26; 1964, Nos. 25 and 39; 1965, Nos. 81, 91, 135, 167 and 190; 1966, No. 95; 1967, Nos. 41, 58, 114 and 178; 1968, Nos. 100, 141 and 161; 1969, Nos. 2, 7, 10, 39, 43 and 218; 1970, Nos. 8, 72, 105 and 194; 1972, No. 97; 1973, Nos. 5, 6, 42, 43, 89, 94, 162, 175, 217, 227, 228, and 262; and 1974, Nos. 123 and 249; and 1975, Nos. 58, 62, 121 and 172.


 “ (3) Sub-regulation (2) applies only to prescribed articles of clothing exported from the Republic of Korea before 1 January 1976.

Prohibition of importation of certain articles of clothing from Hong Kong.

“ 4h. (1) In this regulation—

‘ prescribed articles of clothing ’ means any of the following articles of clothing that contain any prescribed fibre:—

(a) knitted shirts (not being undergarments) for men, boys or infants;

(b) knitted jackets (not being tailored jackets), knitted cardigans, knitted jumpers, or knitted sweaters, being jackets, cardigans, jumpers or sweaters for men, women, boys, girls or infants;

(c) woven or knitted dresses for women or girls;

(d) woven or knitted trousers (including jeans) for men or boys;

(e) woven coats, woven raincoats, woven jackets, woven blouses or woven nightwear, being coats, raincoats, jackets, blouses or nightwear for women, girls or infants;

(f) knitted blouses for women or girls;

‘ prescribed fibre ’ means—

(a) in relation to articles specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of the definition of ‘ prescribed articles of clothing ’ in this regu­lation—cotton fibre, wool fibre or man-made fibre; and

(b) in relation to articles specified in paragraph (c), (d), (e) or (f) of that definition—cotton fibre or man-made fibre.

“ (2) Subject to sub-regulation (3), the importation into Australia of pre­scribed articles of clothing manufactured in Hong Kong is prohibited unless—

(a) the importer produces to the Collector an export licence issued by the Department of Commerce and Industry of Hong Kong in respect of the exportation of those articles of clothing from Hong Kong to Australia; or

(b) each such article contains an amount of a fibre, other than a pre­scribed fibre, the percentage by weight of which in relation to the total weight of the article exceeds the percentage by weight in relation to the total weight of the article of the amount of any other fibre in the article that is a prescribed fibre.

“ (3) Sub-regulation (2) applies only to prescribed articles of clothing reported from Hong Kong before 1 July 1976.

Prohibition of importation of certain articles of clothing from Macau.

“ 4j. (1) In this regulation—

‘ prescribed articles of clothing ’ means any of the following articles of clothing that contain any prescribed fibre:—

(a) knitted shirts (not being undergarments), knitted blouses, knitted coats, knitted jackets, knitted jumpers, knitted cardi­gans, knitted sweaters or knitted pullovers;

(b) woven blouses, woven shirts or woven nightwear being blouses, shirts or nightwear for women, girls or infants;

(c) knitted or woven dresses for women, girls or infants; or

(d) woven or knitted trousers (including jeans) for men, boys or infants;

‘ prescribed fibre ’ means cotton fibre, wool fibre or man-made fibre.

“ (2) Subject to sub-regulation (3), the importation into Australia of pre­scribed articles of clothing manufactured in Macau is prohibited unless—

(a) the importer produces to the Collector a certificate issued by the Foreign Trade Department of Macau certifying that the articles of clothing were manufactured in Macau; or

(b) each such article contains an amount of a fibre, other than a pre­scribed fibre, the percentage by weight of which in relation to the total weight of the article equals or exceeds the percentage by weight in relation to the total weight of the article of the amount of any other fibre in the article that is a prescribed fibre.

“ (3) Sub-regulation (2) applies only to prescribed articles of clothing exported from Macau before 1 July 1976.”.

Overview

The Statutory Rules 1975 No. 183, enacted under the Customs Act 1901-1975, was introduced to address the need for regulating the importation of certain goods into Australia, specifically focusing on the prohibition of certain articles of clothing from Korea, Hong Kong, and Macau. This legislation was enacted by the Governor-General of Australia, acting on the advice of the Executive Council, to ensure compliance with Australia's customs regulations. The policy objective of these regulations is to control and restrict the importation of specific clothing items containing prescribed fibres such as cotton, wool, or man-made fibres, thereby protecting domestic industries and maintaining quality standards. The regulations require importers to provide specific documentation or ensure that the imported articles meet certain fibre composition criteria to be legally admissible into Australia.

Scope and Application

This legislative instrument, made under the Customs Act 1901-1975, pertains specifically to the importation of certain articles of clothing into Australia from the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, and Macau. The act applies to individuals or entities acting as importers of the specified clothing items into Australia, targeting specific types of apparel that contain prescribed fibres such as cotton, wool, or man-made fibres. The geographic scope of the legislation is national, applying throughout Australia, as it is a Commonwealth regulation. The regulations set out in this legislative instrument impose prohibitions on the importation of these articles unless certain conditions are met, such as the production of specific export documents or compliance with fibre content requirements. The prohibitions apply to articles exported from these regions before specified dates: 1 January 1976 for the Republic of Korea, 1 July 1976 for Hong Kong, and 1 July 1976 for Macau. The regulations extend their application by detailing the specific types of clothing and fibres subject to the prohibitions, as well as the required documentation or fibre content exemptions.

Key Provisions

The Statutory Rules 1975 No. 183, under the Customs Act 1901-1975, introduce new regulations regarding the importation of certain articles of clothing from specific countries. These regulations prohibit the importation of prescribed articles of clothing from the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, and Macau, unless certain conditions are met. Regulation 4g, 4h, and 4j, inserted after regulation 4f, provide detailed provisions on the types of clothing and fibres that are subject to these restrictions. In terms of requirements, these regulations mandate that for articles of clothing to be imported into Australia from the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, or Macau, the importer must either present an export visa or certificate from the respective countries, or ensure that the articles contain a specified percentage of fibres other than the prescribed fibres. For example, for clothing from the Republic of Korea, the importer must provide an export visa from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Korea or ensure that the clothing contains a percentage of non-prescribed fibres that equals or exceeds the percentage of prescribed fibres. Similar conditions apply for clothing from Hong Kong and Macau, with the requirement of an export licence and certificate respectively, or the specified fibre percentage condition. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in various legal consequences. While the specific penalties for breach are not detailed in the legislative instrument, under the Customs Act 1901-1975, unauthorised importation of goods can typically lead to the seizure of the goods, fines, and potentially criminal charges. The penalties can vary depending on the value of the goods and the intent behind the breach, but they can include substantial financial penalties and imprisonment in serious cases. The specific enforcement mechanisms and penalties would need to be further explored under the Customs Act and related case law.

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.