Yet Another Fee Hike in Oz

[Ex-Calif]

Sooo...

Australia is theoretically charging 207 boats a year X $380 = $78,660.

Yeah - Australia is making a fortune on this deal.

For those comparing countries with short coastlines, you must realize that it is not a fair comparison, right? I mean Hawaii and Tonga need the same budget to protect their coast? Puhlease...

Turn it around and be an Aussie taxpayer. Let's see, AQIS annual budget = Umpty- bagillion dollars just so 207 spoilt and privileged yachties can enter by boat every year, and spend probably $2,000 each?

We'll take our tourists by air thank you very much...

Don't like it? Don't go.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by savoir

So anchor somewhere quiet when you arrive and don't pick up the VHF until 8.01 am when you ask for directions to the local customs buoy.

Nope, radio port control before you anchor, they will tell you where to anchor and arrange for the clearance to take place after 08:00.

[dannc]

I don't have a problem with a country trying to protect against invasive species. I have seen what a mess non native plants and animals have done in FLA and non native plants are here in NC and it is not pretty.

What I don't understand is why canned foods are being taken off of boats. I would like to know what invasive can be in commercial canned foods?

I can sorta understand being cautious with home canned foods since the inspector would not know if the product was done in a pressure cooker or hot water bath.

When they take home canned goods, do they take the jars or just dump the food. Seems like if they take the food they would have to incinerate it.

Flip side, what invasive is going to survive pressure canning, being eaten and digested?

Later,
Dan

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by dannc

I don't have a problem with a country trying to protect against invasive species. I have seen what a mess non native plants and animals have done in FLA and non native plants are here in NC and it is not pretty.

What I don't understand is why canned foods are being taken off of boats. I would like to know what invasive can be in commercial canned foods?

I can sorta understand being cautious with home canned foods since the inspector would not know if the product was done in a pressure cooker or hot water bath.

When they take home canned goods, do they take the jars or just dump the food. Seems like if they take the food they would have to incinerate it.

Flip side, what invasive is going to survive pressure canning, being eaten and digested?

Later,
Dan

Hi there is a database called icon that Aqis use. This lists just about everything you may wish to import and gives the conditions attached to the comodity.
Canned goods can be imported provided that they are commercially prepared and packed and are shelf stable without refrigeration. This includes meat product. Home canning is not acceptable.
As I said the information is all available on the data base (icon), all one needs to do is look for it.
Hope this helps.

[JPA Cate]

That's interesting Uncle Bob, for a long time, canned corned beef from Argentina, South Africa, and the Pacific Islands was all confiscated. We were told this was due to the organism that causes hoof and mouth disease being able to survive canning. If the latter were true, why would it now be okay to import commercially canned corned beef?

A.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Even if one agrees that $380 isn't by itself a huge amount of money, if every country charged the same it would cost thousands just to cross the Pacific.

It certainly could.

Or some people would go to Papeete, and straight to New Caledonia, then on to NZ, and other people would do something else.

You've heard the expression "herding cats"? getting consistency among cruising yachtspeople would be at least that difficult!

Ann

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

That's interesting Uncle Bob, for a long time, canned corned beef from Argentina, South Africa, and the Pacific Islands was all confiscated. We were told this was due to the organism that causes hoof and mouth disease being able to survive canning. If the latter were true, why would it now be okay to import commercially canned corned beef?

A.

Anne hi, the very data base that Aqis (or DAFF or DAG, or whatever they call themselves thesedays) is available to everyone.
Sadly the interpretation rests with the officer reading it, or sometimes what they thought they remembered reading sometime, and many decisions may be open to a different interpretation.
Also regulations do change and what was once not permitted now is.
I just had a look and the canned pork you describe is acceptable acording to the data base.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Hi there is a database called icon that Aqis use. This lists just about everything you may wish to import and gives the conditions attached to the comodity.
Canned goods can be imported provided that they are commercially prepared and packed and are shelf stable without refrigeration. This includes meat product. Home canning is not acceptable.
As I said the information is all available on the data base (icon), all one needs to do is look for it.
Hope this helps.

I have looked but that does not explain WHY it is banned.

Later,
Dan

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by dannc

I have looked but that does not explain WHY it is banned.

Later,
Dan

This I lifted straight from the site
Definition of non-commercial
The importation of these goods are limited to:
- 10 kilograms of solid food
- 10 litres of liquid food
- 2 litres of concentrated liquid food

These limits apply per consignment.
Commercial samples (of any quantity) and goods imported in quantities greater than those listed above must be imported under the “Commercial” conditions.
1. An import permit is not required.
2. A quarantine entry is not required.
3. Products must be commercially manufactured, retorted and shelf-stable without refrigeration, for the personal consumption of the person wishing to import the product.
4. All consignments are subject to inspection on arrival to verify that the goods are retorted and do not require refrigeration to maintain quality

If the goods do not meet these criteria they are unaceptable and denied entry. Home canned goods may or may not meet the same health requirements as commercial goods, there is no way to tell and as such are deemed to be unacceptable. Agree or disagree, it doesn't matter.
Have the information from thier own website and you can confidantly question a decision.

[Mirage Gecko]

For those that don't like or understand why some of the food and animal products are banned guns and drugs are banned too.Dont understand they / we don't care
The OP is already in OZ and clearly has been for some time and my take is he does not like the hike in fees but does understand why and the process..fair enough.
What I don't get here are those that are upset by the fee regardless of amount but probably would never come anyway and those that think they need to know why you can't bring in ????? Come on this country is not much different to most we have laws and regs that need to be followed.
Personally I did not like the processes and or attitude of some of the staff when checking into US airports on a number of occasions.Nor did I like the process of pulling our car apart driving in and out of Canada .The police attitude can leave a bit to be desired but I returned and just sucked it up.
Life is too short to stress out on something you personally dislike but cannot change.Simply vote with your wallet if its all to hard in OZ.
Chris

[Wotname]

Consider this. The quarantine inspection isn't for my protection, it's for the countries' protection. Why shouldn't the citizens of the country pay for their own protection. I'm certainly not getting protected fom teh hundreds of poisonous animals and insects already there.

A couple of points:
You are getting the same protection as the locals while you are here; in fact it could be argued that the reason many come to Oz is because we have kept the foreign nasties out.
Why should the locals pay to have your boat inspected, they haven't invited you (or your potential bio-threats) here. You want to come here - great, just pay a the price for your inspection and we will make you feel very welcome once we know you are bug free . It you don't want to pay, fine, don't bother turning up; the other 6+ million visitors/year won't miss you either. BTW they have all paid their share of the Quarantine service.

And why is it that some think the $380 fee doesn't contribute to the Aussie economy. It doesn't matter if the money goes to AQIS or the local marina or pub or wherever, it all ends up in the country's economic basket.

And you can be sure that we will make you welcome once you have been cleared in.

If the scuttlebutt is correct, most of the time our immigration, customs and quarantine officials carry out their duties with a friendly attitude unlike a certain North American country.

[noelex 77]

They need to charge high fees so they can afford to run the ad campaign to attract tourists to Australia

[monte]

A couple of notes, Australia actually has border control quarantine between the states as well, so honey, fruit and veg etc is not allowed to pass between say South Australia and west Australia, even if it's unopened and made in Australia. The reason in different territories have different bugs. There's no charge and sometimes the border isn't patrolled but signs and rubbish bins allow you to do the right thing.
Government fees are income for the government to spend for the upkeep of the country, the money doesn't get burned so to me complaining about a one off fee that probably just covers the actual costs involved seems fair enough, Sure the government could increase income tax and have all the working Aussies pay an additional 1cent per annum to cover the charge, but a user pays service seems fairer and also looks better on the books when they decide to privatise the whole thing and sell it off.
Quarantine charges...isn't Galápagos Islands pretty expensive even for a short visit.?
Europe, VAT IS 20% , aus has 10% GST, so every purchase another 10% goes directly to the government. I'm not complaining, just saying it's swings and roundabouts on how the revenue to maintain the different countries is a big picture..

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Mirage Gecko

For those that don't like or understand why some of the food and animal products are banned guns and drugs are banned too.Dont understand they / we don't care
The OP is already in OZ and clearly has been for some time and my take is he does not like the hike in fees but does understand why and the process..fair enough.
What I don't get here are those that are upset by the fee regardless of amount but probably would never come anyway and those that think they need to know why you can't bring in ????? Come on this country is not much different to most we have laws and regs that need to be followed.
Personally I did not like the processes and or attitude of some of the staff when checking into US airports on a number of occasions.Nor did I like the process of pulling our car apart driving in and out of Canada .The police attitude can leave a bit to be desired but I returned and just sucked it up.
Life is too short to stress out on something you personally dislike but cannot change.Simply vote with your wallet if its all to hard in OZ.
Chris

Did the TSA charge you $380 while checking your ID? No? Why not?

According to your logic, YOU should have to pay for the privilege of entering the US, all of the little fees that pay the salaries of all of the Customs, Border Patrol, Dept. of Homeland Security, Agriculture and Immigrations workers who need to get paid to facilitate your entry into the US.


Oh, wait, MY TAX DOLLARS pay for that. You're welcome. See how it's done? The citizens of the country pay for the protection of their borders. But I'm beginning to warm up to your way of doing things, I'm all for shifting the costs to the immigrants and visitors, especially the illegal ones.

"Welcome to the United States. That will be $1,286, please. Cash only."

[weavis]

There are several massive law suits going on at present regarding the chemicals that Australia sprays over everyone landing at airports and boats.

Of course it is hotly denied by OzGov, but it appears regular travelers and flight crews to Oz have a much higher incidence of Parkinsons Disease allegedly due to a certain chemical in the spray. (There is a known link to the disorder from this chemical).

Wonderful. Make sure you clean your boat completely. Flush the bilges or suck the air out....

• Am I alarmist? Not really. 20 years from now they will admit how bad it was
• "but we have solved that problem with knowledge and better chemicals now".

And in another 20 years...........


Having worked in the medical 'industry' for 30 years, I have no faith in it.