Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The Minister for Trade has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) No.

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, in the Home Affairs portfolio, has advised that there is one United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations (UNLOCODE) assigned to a place within the Palestinian Territories, the city of Ramallah. Import records indicate there have been 27 imports from this location, all declaring the Palestinian Territories as the place of origin, since October 2005 (the limit of current electronic records).

The Health and Ageing and Home Affairs portfolios administer product labelling on imported goods.

(2) The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service, in the Home Affairs portfolio, has advised that it has not made any seizures of goods that were falsely labelled as originating from Israel.

The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service also advises that under Australian law, and associated regulations, the declared place of origin of goods must be the location in which the goods were made, produced, manufactured or otherwise originated. See also the response to question 1.

(3) No.

The ACCC advises that it has not taken action for breach of the Competition and Consumer Act (or the Trade Practices Act) on the basis that goods were labelled 'Made in Israel' when they were actually made partly or in full in the Palestinian Territories.

The Treasury portfolio is responsible for competition and consumer policy.

(4) No.

Austrade is not aware of any contracts and/or agreements between Australian and Israeli companies to conduct research or business in the Palestinian Territories, including in Israeli industrial zones in the Palestinian Territories.