EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1984 No. 55
CUSTOMS (PROHIBITED IMPORTS) REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
(Issued under the authority of the Attorney-General)
Section 50 of the Customs Act 1901, which is administered by the Attorney-General insofar as it relates to censorship, empowers the Governor-General to make regulations prohibiting the importation of goods absolutely, or subject to specified conditions and restrictions.
The Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations govern the importation of a wide range of goods. Regulation 4A, which applies to goods that are likely to be offensive, provides authority for Commonwealth censorship functions other than censorship of films for public exhibition.
The purpose of this amendment is to delete the word “extreme” from Regulation 4A (1A) (a) (iii) so that the provision applies to a wider range of goods depicting violence.