Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Customs Tariff Amendment (Expanded Information Technology Agreement Implementation and other measures) Bill 2016 implements commitments made in the 2016-17 budget to reduce customs duty on certain information technology products.

This bill contains amendments to the Customs Tariff Act 1995 to reduce the customs duty on certain information technology products to free. These reductions will occur incrementally over time, commencing on 1 January 2017.

The customs duty for the majority of products included in this bill, including printing ink and certain types of equipment used in the manufacture of printed circuits, will become free on 1 July 2019. A small number of products, including certain types of audio speakers, will become free on 1 July 2021.

Australia is a net importer of information technology products. The progressive elimination of customs duty on certain information technology products will benefit Australian industries and consumers through lower costs. I recommend the bill.

Debate adjourned.

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