As you may be aware, the Australian Government has recently implemented prohibitions on the carriage of air cargo originating from, or transiting through, Egypt; Syria, Bangladesh; Yemen or Somalia.
The measures apply to airlines carrying in-bound air cargo to Australia, regardless of security treatments that may be applied at a transit point or last port of departure to Australia. If during its journey to Australia, the cargo has been transported via a means other than air cargo, such as sea or land freight, before uplift to Australia then it is no-longer regarded as air cargo originating from, or transiting through, the country.
The prohibitions are a preventive security measure to manage potential security risks associated with air cargo from those countries.
This is a decision of the Government made under 65B(2)(b) of the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004. The prohibitions are a legal requirement of the Government and have been implemented under specific provisions made by the Parliament in 2013 for precisely this purpose. It is not possible for the Department to grant an exemption under the legislation.
The Department is working with Australian Border Force to implement the arrangements, however the Department appreciates the complexity of the air cargo system and the potential difficulties that may arise given the short-time frame available for industry to respond to the requirements.
The Government, in cooperation with our international partners, will continue to monitor and assess the aviation security environment.
If you have any questions regarding the above, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Source: FTA
