Customs Act 1901

PART V - WAREHOUSES  

SECTION 96B   INWARDS DUTY FREE SHOPS  

96B(1)    
In this section -

"international flight"
means a flight, whether direct or indirect, by an aircraft between a place outside Australia from which the aircraft took off and a place in Australia at which the aircraft landed;

"inwards duty free shop"
means a warehouse in respect of which the relevant warehouse licence authorises the sale in the warehouse of airport shop goods to relevant travellers;

"place outside Australia"
(Omitted by No 111 of 1990)

"proprietor"
, in relation to an inwards duty free shop, means the holder of the warehouse licence that relates to the inwards duty free shop;

"relevant traveller"
means a person who -

(a) has arrived in Australia on an international flight, whether as a passenger on, or as the pilot or a member of the crew of, an aircraft; and

(b) has not been questioned, for the purposes of this Act, by an officer of Customs in respect of goods carried on that flight.

96B(2)    
A warehouse licence is not to authorise the sale in the warehouse of airport shop goods to relevant travellers unless the warehouse -

(a) is situated at an airport; and

(b) is so located that passengers on international flights who arrive at that airport would normally have access to the warehouse before being questioned for the purposes of this Act by officers of Customs.

96B(3)    
Subject to the regulations (if any), a Collector may give permission, in accordance with subsection (4), for airport shop goods that are specified in the permission and are sold to a relevant traveller in an inwards duty free shop that is specified in the permission to be -

(a) delivered to the relevant traveller; and

(b) taken by the relevant traveller for reporting to an officer of Customs doing duty in relation to clearance under this Act of the personal baggage of the relevant traveller.

96B(4)    
Permission under subsection (3) is given in accordance with this subsection if it is in writing and is delivered to the proprietor of the inwards duty free shop to which the permission relates.

96B(5)    
Without limiting the matters that may be prescribed in regulations referred to in subsection (3), those regulations -

(a) may prescribe circumstances in which permission under that subsection may be given;

(b) may prescribe matters to be taken into account by a Collector when deciding whether to give permission under that subsection; and

(c) may prescribe conditions to which a permission under that subsection is to be subject.

96B(6)    

A Collector may, when giving permission under subsection (3) or at any time while a permission under that subsection is in force, impose conditions to which the permission is to be subject, being conditions that, in the opinion of the Collector, are necessary:

(a) for the protection of the revenue; or

(b) for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the Customs Acts, any other law of the Commonwealth prescribed by the regulations or a law of a State or Territory prescribed by the regulations;

and may, at any time, revoke, suspend or vary, or cancel a suspension of, a condition so imposed.

96B(7)    
Without limiting the generality of paragraph (5)(c) or subsection (6), a condition referred to in that paragraph or that subsection to which a permission is to be subject may be -

(a) a condition to be complied with by the proprietor of the inwards duty free shop to which the permission relates or by relevant travellers to whom goods to which the permission relates are sold; or

(b) a condition that the proprietor of the inwards duty free shop to which the permission relates will keep records specified in the regulations.

96B(8)    
A condition imposed in respect of a permission under subsection (6) or a revocation, suspension or variation, or a cancellation of a suspension, of such a condition takes effect when notice in writing of the condition or of the revocation, suspension or variation, or of the cancellation of the suspension, is served on the proprietor of the inwards duty free shop to which it relates, or at such later time (if any) as is specified in the notice, but does not have effect in relation to any goods delivered to a relevant traveller before the notice was served.

96B(9)    
A condition imposed in respect of a permission under paragraph (5)(c) or subsection (6) or a revocation, suspension or variation, or a cancellation of a suspension, of a condition under subsection (6) may relate to all goods to which the permission relates or to particular goods to which the permission relates and may apply either generally or in particular circumstances.

96B(10)    
A permission under subsection (3) is subject to the condition that the proprietor of the inwards duty free shop to which the permission relates will ensure that relevant travellers to whom goods are delivered in accordance with the permission are aware of any conditions of the permission with which they are required to comply.

96B(11)    

If a person who is required to comply with a condition imposed in respect of a permission under subsection (3) fails to comply with the condition, the person commits an offence against this Act punishable upon conviction by a fine not exceeding 60 penalty units.

96B(11A)    

Subsection (11) is an offence of strict liability.

Note: For strict liability , see section 6.1 of the Criminal Code .

96B(12)    
A Collector may, in accordance with the regulations, revoke a permission given under subsection (3) in relation to the sale of goods occurring after the revocation.

96B(13)    
Where a Collector makes a decision under subsection (3) refusing to give permission to the proprietor of an inwards duty free shop or a decision under subsection (12) revoking a permission given under subsection (3), the Collector shall cause to be served, either personally or by post, on the proprietor of the shop, a notice in writing setting out the Collector ' s findings on material questions of fact, referring to the evidence or other material on which those findings were based and giving the reasons for the decision.