THE Council of Small Business Australia (COSBOA) has called for small business people across the country to use the natural awareness of their environment to provide support to the government in its security processes.

Peter Strong CEO of COSBOA has written an article calling on small business people to report anything they consider suspicious or strange to the relevant authorities.

Mr Strong stated, “Small business people by nature have an enhanced awareness of what is happening in or around them and have always been an important part of the security in our communities.  We know that the government agencies involved in national security would like small business people to report anything they consider suspicious - whether it’s the purchase of chemicals that normally wouldn’t occur, odd money transactions or any other behaviour that may be of concern.”

COSBOA and its members know that small business people are represented in every industry and in every community across Australia.  We have always kept a watch out for criminals and thieves, for fire traps and dangerous situations and we work with the relevant authorities as necessary to help minimise risk. 

Peter Strong said, “The current national security situation is challenging for all of us as we try to understand the dangers and risks.  The government agencies do not want us to be alarmed but they do want phone calls to be made if we see something of concerns. 

"We may need to get over a natural reluctance to “dob” someone in or get involved.  Make the phone call and then let the authorities deal with the issue professionally.”

Mr Strong further added, "I would like to thank the COSBOA directors and members who assisted in putting the article together as well as officials from the Attorney- General’s Department, and I would like to particularly thank Kate Carnell, CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and industry for her advice and support. 

"This is a very different issue from what we normally address and the advice and information received was important in getting the message right to send to the 2.1 million small business people in Australia.”

www.cosboa.org.au

National Security Hotline:  1800 1234 00.

www.nationalsecurity.gov.au

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INTERNATIONAL Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Secretary General John Danilovich met with World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya at WCO Headquarters in Brussels earlier this week to discuss ways to strengthen the relationship between the world business community and Customs to facilitate cross-border trade.

Joined by Norman Shenk, Chair of the ICC Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation and UPS Vice-President of Global Customs Policy and Public Affairs, Mr Danilovich highlighted the role of the ICC World Chambers Federation in co-administering the ATA Carnet System and cooperating with Customs in the area of Certificates of Origin, as well as through ICC's Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) initiative to stop counterfeited goods at borders and prevent free trade zones becoming hotspots for illicit trade and organized crime groups.

Discussions also included specific challenges that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) encounter when trading across borders, customs valuation ceilings for goods known as de minimis , rules of origin and the increasing importance of e-commerce and global value chains.

Thanking Mr Mikuriya for making the customs-business cooperation a priority, Mr Danilovich also reaffirmed ICC's ongoing support for the WCO's work on trade facilitation and in particular for the implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) that aims to enhance trade flows.

"Given that the agreement deals almost entirely with Customs-related topics, trade ministries, Customs and business must all be involved at country-level to ensure the TFA's successful implementation," Mr Danilovich said.

Through the Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation, ICC is actively engaged in the WCO Working Group on the implementation of the TFA.

Under the chairmanship of Mr Schenk, the commission provides strategic advice and expertise, namely on Authorized Economic Operator Programmes, and a number of technical issues such as Customs Classification (in the WCO Harmonized System Committee) and on Customs Valuation (in the WCO Technical Committee on Customs Valuation).

In line with a longstanding relationship dating back to when the WCO was created in the 1950s, both organizations concluded the meeting by reaffirming support for the modernization of Customs as a core means of enhancing the supply chain and economic competitiveness.

Mr Mikuriya has emphasized on many occasions that Customs and business are natural allies in trade facilitation and will be a keynote speaker at the Customs and Trade Facilitation Symposium, hosted by ICC and the United States Council for International Business (ICC USA), to take place in Miami next month.The ICC Commission on Customs and Trade Facilitation has approximately 250 members from close to 50 countries.

Commission members comprise Customs representatives, transport and logistics specialists from ICC member companies and business representative organizations.

www.iccwbo.org

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AUSTRALIA’s biggest ever trade mission to India will formally commence today, beginning a week-long series of events designed to enhance trade, education, investment and tourism ties with the world’s third-largest economy.

Australia Business Week in India (ABWI) will see more than 450 business leaders visit India’s major cities to meet their Indian counterparts. The mission also incorporated participation in yesterday’s Vibrant Gujarat 2015 summit.

Bruce Gosper, CEO of Austrade, said, “This trade mission is an important way to inform India’s business community about Australia’s commercial strengths and for our nation’s business people to get a closer look at what India has to offer.

“The sheer size of the mission makes it an important step in Australia’s ongoing efforts to develop trade, investment, education and tourism ties with India,” he said.

Led by Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb, the mission was organised by Austrade and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

“The response to this mission has been impressive and indicates that Australian business is aware of the opportunities and interested in engaging with India in a commercial sense,” Mr Gosper said.

“What is important about ABWI is that business people will get the chance to meet their counterparts face to face, a type of engagement that helps identify real commercial outcomes.”

Nicola Watkinson, Austrade’s Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner for South Asia, said ABWI delegates would visit multiple cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata Chandigarh, Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and Ludhiana. They would meet leading representatives of India’s business community and attend a series of high-level investment roundtables.

“The delegates represent a significant cross section of Australian industry in areas identified as having the best opportunities in the Indian market. These include resources and energy, tourism, infrastructure, transport, agribusiness and food, financial services, health and medical, as well as education and training,” she said.

"Australia has strong capabilities which can help India better utilise its natural resources, increase water, food and energy security, and serve its changing demography and increasingly affluent population.

"India is looking for ways to improve its innovation output and Australia’s world-class education system and strong innovation credentials can help.”

ABWI follows the successful trade mission to China in April last year, Australia Week in China (AWIC), which was also coordinated by Austrade and DFAT.

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THE Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Ministry for the Arts are undertaking a review of the Temporary Work (Entertainment) visa (Subclass 420).

The review is in support of the Australian Government's commitment to reducing the burden and cost of unnecessary or inefficient regulation imposed on individuals, business and community organisations.

The Subclass 420 visa allows visa holders to work temporarily in Australia in the entertainment industry in film, television or live productions in either a performance or in a role behind the scenes.

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