Customs And Border Protection's Second Time Release Study

Customs and Border Protection's second Time Release Study

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service today released the findings of its second Time Release Study (TRS), which measures and reports the time taken by customs authorities to release imported cargo.

Customs and Border Protection's Chief Executive Officer Mr Michael Carmody said it was pleasing to see improvements in 2008 which he attributed largely to the efforts of industry working to improve the timeliness of cargo reporting and declaration.

"The TRS 2008 found the average elapsed time from arrival to release for sea cargo is approximately 14.5 hours, an improvement of 16 hours from the 2007 measurement. For air cargo, the interval in 2008 was around four hours and 45 minutes, an average improvement of more than two hours," Mr Carmody said.

"The solid TRS results for 2008 confirm the relationship between early reporting of import cargo and its early risk assessment and release by Customs and Border Protection.

"This highlights the partnership between Customs and Border Protection and
industry. That partnership helps ensure efficient border clearance which in turn
contributes to a more efficient import supply chain for Australia."

Mr Carmody acknowledged industry's contribution to the Time Release Study 2008,
in particular that of the Customs and Border Protection National Consultative
Committee who provided advice and assistance to the study.

The TRS is a World Customs Organization endorsed method for measuring the time
taken by customs authorities to release imported cargo and is recognised as a
means to identify bottlenecks and improve performance in import processes.

Regular time release studies will continue to be conducted to monitor Customs and Border Protection's performance.

The Time Release Study Report 2008 can be downloaded from Customs and Border
Protection's website: www.customs.gov.au

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Media
(02) 6275 6793

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SOURCE: Australian Customs and Border Protection Service