CANBERRA: The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has signed its first Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS) at the World Customs Organisations’s Council sessions in Brussels. An MRA is a formal arrangement between customs agencies that recognise supply chain security programs and provides reciprocal benefits to the other country’s trusted partners. MRA also provide border agencies with greater end-to-end assurance over imports and exports.
The Australia-New Zealand MRA will ensure that members of the Australian Trusted Trader (ATT) program and the NZCS Secure Exports Scheme receive preferential border treatment and trade facilitation benefits when conducting trans-Tasman trade.
The MRA will deliver a mutually beneficial outcome that increases both nations’ contributions to international supply chain security and trade facilitation. It is anticipated that the MRA will allow up to 13 per cent of New Zealand import volume to Australia -totally $3 billion – to be facilitated, along with $7.5 billion of Australian exports by 2020. This combined $10.5 billion of trans-Tasman trade facilitated and secured through the MRA demonstrates a significant return on investment that will increase the international competitiveness of industries in both countries.
At the council sessions, the department also formally agreed to work towards mutual recognition of its respective supply chain security programs with the Canada Border Service Agency, Hong Kong Customs and Excise, and Singapore Customs. These agreements were made through the signings of Statements of Intent and Action plans. The department also reaffirmed Authorised Economic Operator cooperation with China with the signing of the latest schedule of the Strategic Partnership Program.
