EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Statutory Rules 1985 No. 377
Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations (Amendment)
Issued by the Authority of the Minister of State for Industry, Technology and Commerce
In August 1985 the Government announced it’s decision to introduce a range of selective economic and other measures against South Africa in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The purpose of the regulations is to insert a new regulation 4Q into the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations (“the Regulations”) to prohibit the importation into Australia from the Republic of South Africa of certain goods unless the permission of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, or a person authorized by that Minister, is produced to a Collector of Customs.
The regulations introduce the prohibition as follows:
• regulation 1 is a formal regulation defining the term “Principal Regulations” in the amending regulations to mean the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations;
• regulation 2 inserts a new regulation 4Q into the Regulations which:
- sub-regulation 4Q.(1) defines the term “authorized person” to mean a person appointed in writing by the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the purposes of regulation 4Q; and
- sub-regulation 4Q.(2) prohibits the importation into Australia from the Republic of South Africa of the goods specified in new Schedule 7A to the Regulations unless the written permission of the Minister for Foreign Affairs or an authorized person to import the goods is produced to a Collector of Customs;
regulation 3 inserts a new Schedule 7A into the Regulations which specifies the following eleven items as the goods which are the subject of the import prohibition:
1. | Ammunition. |
2. | Batons, clubs, riot sticks and similar devices of a kind used for law enforcement purposes. |
3. | Body armour, including - (a) bullet-resistant apparel; (b) bullet-resistant pads; and (c) protective helmets. |
4. | Coins, including krugerrands, that are, or have at any time been, currency in the Republic of South Africa. |
5. | Grenades, mines, missiles and rockets, whether or not they are charged. |
6. | Handcuffs, leg irons and other devices used for restraining prisoners. |
7. | Parts, components and accessories for any of the goods referred to in item 1, 5 or 10. |
8. | Riot protection shields. |
9. | Vehicles designed or adapted for law enforcement or military purposes. |
10. | Weapons, including rocket launchers and missile launchers. |
11. | Whips. |