Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, congratulations on your new appointment. I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The Customs Amendment (Controlled Trials) Bill 2021 will amend the Customs Act 1901 to enable time limited trials of trade and customs practices, with approved entities, in a controlled regulatory environment. This is commonly referred to as a 'regulatory sandbox'.

Regulatory sandboxes ensure regulation keeps pace as industry develops, remains fit for purpose and does not become a barrier to innovation and productivity. This is the first regulatory sandbox mechanism identified within a customs framework, worldwide.

The bill will enable the modification or waiver of existing obligations, or imposition of new obligations, to trial simplified regulatory processes in the customs context.

The bill seeks to encourage innovation in developing best practice regulation through testing new business practices and technologies before committing to legislative change. Results from trials will build the evidence base to inform longer-term deregulatory reform. This will assist government in simplifying the Australian customs framework while maintaining, and achieving, Australia's border security objectives.

The controlled trials bill is an important step towards simplifying Australia's trade system, in line with the government's simplified trade system and deregulation agendas.

The simplified trade system agenda is a micro-economic reform agenda that seeks to create a simpler, more efficient and digitised trade system which will deliver tangible benefits for Australian businesses, enable trade growth and better protect the community.

A more streamlined and innovative border will lead to reduced costs and delays for businesses operating at the border, having flow-on effects and benefits to consumers.

I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.