Australia and the WCO engage on topical Customs issues

Canberra, 23-24 August 2012

Report

The Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, visited Canberra from 23-24 August 2012 for discussions on regional and international Customs issues at the invitation of Michael Carmody, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS).

During his visit the Secretary General met the Hon. Jason Clare MP, Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs and Justice. The Minister and the Secretary General engaged in a wide ranging discussion on current topical issues, including compliance, trade facilitation, regional cooperation and capacity building, especially for the Pacific islands.

Secretary General Mikuriya also met several ACBPS senior staff members to acquaint himself with the Service’s intelligence-led risk-based approach to Customs enforcement. In briefing sessions, ACBPS outlined its work on Globally Networked Customs, implementation of the WCO Data Model and IT related initiatives.

Australia as Vice-Chair of the WCO for the Asia/Pacific region outlined the priorities of the region. They also briefed the Secretary General on initiatives ongoing in ACBPS concerning cargo security, AEO, mutual recognition, the WCO Economic Competitiveness Package and commercial fraud.

The Secretary General expressed his appreciation for the information shared with him by ACBPS and looked forward to continued strong support for WCO activities from Australian Customs.

At the closing of the meeting Michael Carmody informed the Secretary General of his imminent retirement. Secretary General Mikuriya expressed his appreciation to Mr. Carmody for his contribution to the ACBPS and for his strong support of the WCO. He wished him a long and happy retirement.