Minutes 70th DCCC Meeting

Welcome and Apologies (Agenda Item 1)

Present

Department of Agriculture
Raelene Vivian
Wayne Terpstra
David Ironside
Nicola Hinder
Caroline Gibson
Matt Holloway
Debbie Langford
Colin Grant
Peter Moore
Ben Leitch
Darren Gill
Nin Hyne

Steve Morris CBFCA
Craig Birchall BARA
Geoff Clark CAPEC
Brian Lovell AFIF
Hart Krtschil AIWGB
Tony Beaver FBIA
Leigh Bryant ACCI
Rod Nairn SAL
Jock O’Hagan Asciano
John Warda ICHCA
Paul Zalai FTA
John Begley Ministerial Freight Advisory Council (Victoria)

Observer

Alison Neil Australian Customs and Border Protection Service

Apologies

David Anderson Ports Australia  

Secretariat Services

Bernie Murphy Department of Agriculture 

Ms Vivian welcomed members and opened the meeting at 9:05 am. It was noted that no new conflicts of interest were declared by committee members.

Acceptance of minutes of previous meeting (Agenda Item 2)

No comments on the minutes had been received and members accepted the minutes.

Action items update (Agenda Item 2.1)

An update was provided against the action items from DCCC meeting 69. All items were complete and/or were to be discussed at the meeting. 

Items for discussion and collaboration (Agenda Item 3)
DCCC Membership (Agenda Item 3.1)

The committee discussed that a number of members have served their three year terms and as per the Administrative Guidelines, the department will be writing shortly to industry associations and activity groups to confirm who will be their member for the next three years. At the same time, the DCCC’s Administrative Guidelines will be sent to members to provide any feedback on minor changes or updates.

Ms Vivian explained that when the department is approached and considering the addition of any new members to the committee, there is a focus on three areas: the proposed member’s area of representation and how this relates to existing committee membership, their involvement with biosecurity issues and the size of the committee.
Mr Clark raised membership of the DCCC and attendance at meetings. Mr Clark said that if the committee is intended to be consultative and representative of industry, it is cognisant of industry associations to have someone attend. Mr Clark raised issues with some members and said that the committee was not a lobby format. Mr Clark suggested that each member should indicate who they are representing and why. Ms Vivian explained that where members are not attending, the department makes contact with them to establish if they wish to continue to be involved in the committee.

Mr O’Hagan confirmed that as the representative from Asciano, he represents the entire stevedore industry and will report back on relevant issues to other companies as required.

Ms Vivian agreed that in July as part of the updated Administrative Guidelines, a list will be with the membership and who those members represent. There was discussion about the confidential nature of some papers and items and members were reminded of these requirements. The department will continue to be clear about what items are considered to be confidential.

Mr Morris raised that smaller groups may not have another person able to be a representative on the DCCC once their two terms are completed. It is important that the right representatives are on the DCCC and that observers can be utilised to bring technical expertise to the committee as required. Mr Morris raised concerns on the sharing of confidential information at the committee.

Mr Zalai outlined that the Freight and Trade Alliance represents businesses, industry associations including the Australian Retail Association and the Australian International Movers Association, some large retailers, customs brokers and freight forwarders. Mr Clark raised that some groups are represented by more than one organisation, Ms Vivian agreed and noted that there will be some crossover, however the department’s aim is to ensure that all key groups are represented in some format.

Mr Clark said he would continue to participate in the committee, however would not divulge information of a commercial in confidence nature. Ms Vivian confirmed that items of a confidential nature could be dealt with on a bilateral basis as required. 

BICON (Agenda Item 3.6)

Mr Gill provided an update on BICON, with progress continuing to track well and implementation expected in the 2015-16 financial year. Mr Gill explained the departmental support arrangements for BICON, including a consolidated support cell of staff who will undertake the pre and post assessment roles of permit management, however the permit assessment role will still be undertaken by experts. Mr Krtschil commented that recent Industry Implementation Group meetings have been very positive and Mr Beaver supported this, also commenting on the high quality of the proposed e-learning package for industry.

Post Entry Quarantine Station Update (Agenda Item 3.2)

Dr Grant and Mr Moore presented to the committee about changes to the management of post entry quarantine functions and the consolidation to one facility in Melbourne. A range of live plants and animals being imported to Australia will progressively have to arrive in Melbourne for transfer to the new post entry quarantine station, starting from late 2015. It was agreed that a copy of the presentation would be made available to members.

Mr Birchall raised the issues of transport and logistics in sending live animals to the new facility in Melbourne and the committee discussed alternative options. It was agreed that this discussion would be worked through offline, directly with BARA.

Biosecurity Legislation (Agenda Item 3.5)

Ms Langford provided an update to the committee on the progress of the new biosecurity legislation. The implementation approach is being developed, and some aspects of the legislation will have longer transition arrangements for example approved arrangements and first points of entry. There will be opportunities for consultation on each legislation project and this will be coordinated by the relevant business areas, with assistance from the legislation project office. Ms Vivian suggested that any training materials developed for staff could be made available for industry and this will be considered under each project.

Ms Langford explained that the regulations under the new act are being developed. Ms Vivian agreed that information on the implementation and consultation approaches will be provided to the committee at the next DCCC meeting.

Ms Gibson updated the committee on the approach for approved arrangements under the new legislation and the potential for improved arrangements that can encompass a range of different operations. The committee discussed how to consult on the approach to approved arrangements and how these would be implemented. It was agreed that members would be invited to nominate to participate and this could be through the committee, through the development of a working group and/or through bilateral discussions. It was agreed that the consultation plan would be made available to DCCC members.

Compliance Arrangements Framework (Agenda Item 3.7)

Mr Holloway and Ms Gibson spoke to the papers provided and explained that these were draft documents with the intention of starting a preliminary discussion with the DCCC. Feedback will be sought prior to the next meeting, and the discussion will be continued at the next meeting. Several members commented on the quality of the documents and that the timeframes included were quite sensible.

Ms Gibson explained that work had been done to develop a compliance arrangements framework, to identify how to approve, manage and maintain arrangements in a consistent manner. The department has been looking to implement some test arrangements to use as case studies. The department is also continuing to work with the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the Office of Transport Security. Mr Holloway provided an overview of the documents and how the framework will be implemented.

Members were encouraged to provide any feedback to the DCCC secretariat and it was agreed that the department would provide updated documents with company names removed. It was agreed that the documents could then be distributed further, with the caveat that they were in draft and therefore not final. It was agreed that the committee would be provided with a further update at the next meeting.

Action item: Mr Holloway and Ms Gibson to provide an updated document with company names removed.

Cost Recovery Reform (Agenda Item 3.4)

Ms Hyne provided a brief update to the committee on progress with the cost recovery reform process underway. The reform is intended to create a more consistent model on inspections and levy charges. It is expected that the cost recovery impact statement will be released in May and cost and prices will also be published in May for public consultation. Mr Krtschil said that he will contact the Cost Recovery team to discuss the review.  

Service Delivery Modernisation (Agenda Item 3.3)

Mr Leitch provided an update on the progress of several service delivery modernisation projects including the Cargo Online Lodgement System (COLS), voice and mobile workforce pilot. It was agreed that if members had any feedback to provide on these projects, they were welcome to do so through the DCCC secretariat.  

Mr Leitch spoke about further projects to commence including online appointments and inspection management, online reservations for the new post entry quarantine facility and invoicing, payments and receipting. It was agreed that a high level outline of phases and timeframes would be provided to members for their information.

Mr Nairn asked about the implementation of MARS. Ms Hinder provided an update, with recent user acceptance testing identifying minor issues which will be addressed. It is still on track for the system build to be completed by the end of 2015. Approval has been sought to look at domestic ballast water risk management, though this will be an adjunct to the current project and will be put into the second release of MARS.

Mr Leitch spoke about the development of service standards. The intention is to start with documentation assessment, with the assistance of lessons from COLS and phone. Existing service standards will be consolidated and presented in an improved format. The service standards will then be published on the department’s website and these would be reported against. 

Other Business (Agenda Item 6)

Ms Hinder provided an update to the committee on planned industrial action to be undertaken by members of the Community and Public Sector Union. An industry notice will be published on the department’s website and further information will be provided as necessary. All assessments indicate that the impact of the industrial action will be low.

Illegal Logging (Agenda Item 5.1)

The paper was taken as read. It was agreed that Mr Krtschil would speak directly with Mr Terpstra on an issue relating to compliance.

DCCC Work Plan Reporting (Agenda Item 5.2)

The paper was taken as read.

Emergency Measures (Agenda Item 5.3)

Ms Hinder provided an overview of emergency measures undertaken to manage increased detections of brown marmorated stink bugs from cargo originating from the USA. Ms Hinder thanked members who have participated in the process. It is intended that the department will view the brown marmorated stink bug as a seasonal pest and measures will be put in place to do this. The committee discussed communication of the issues and changes that were implemented.

Imported Food (Agenda Item 5.4)

Mr Ironside provided an update on several imported food issues the department has been dealing with. The immediate responses are in the process of being finalised, however the next step is to review processes and identify areas for improvement and implement changes. Mr Ironside thanked Mr Beaver for his assistance throughout this process. Mr Beaver provided an update from industry’s perspective and commented that all were happy with the information they received.

Import Industry Finance Consultative Committee Minutes (Agenda Item 5.5)

Mr Clark commented that the minutes were issued as confidential and suggested that they do not need to be provided to the DCCC. Ms Vivian agreed that they would no longer be provided.

Other Business (Agenda Item 6)

Ms Vivian distributed the Cargo and Shipping Financial Year 2015-15 December Quarter Report to members. This report will be published on the department’s website.

Next Meetings (Agenda Item 7)

The meeting closed at 1.20 pm.

Next meetings:

• Meeting DCCC 71 – Melbourne – Wednesday 29 July
• Meeting DCCC 72 – Sydney – Wednesday 18 November.