Global Trade

Given the increasing volume and speed of trade, it is critical for businesses to adopt technology and automation to streamline and digitise their trade operations to maintain a competitive advantage. We can assist you with:

• Trade compliance management systems to automate restricted party screening, permit requirements, tariff classification, concessional tariff use, creation and filing of customs declarations and record keeping.
• Trade preference management to digitise and optimise Free Trade Agreement eligibility assessments for importations and integrate with product bill of materials.
• Bond management systems to track and report movements in and out of bonded warehouses.
• Tailored solutions to meet specific business needs, such as automating specific international trade processes,compliance requirements or using dashboard technology and AI to generate greater visibility and insights.

To ensure that goods move efficiently and securely through international supply chains, we can assist with:

• Review of international trade activities to identify inefficiencies or compliance risks in global procurement; optimal freight mode utilisation, trade route selection, management of 3PLs and assess regulatory compliance across the international supply chain.
• Cost-analysis across international supply chains to identify, review and reduce costs embedded in global supply chains, including transport and insurance costs, reporting and regulatory compliance charges; freight forwarding and brokerage costs and local storage and distribution costs.
• Development of risk mitigation strategies within global supply chains, leveraging Trade technology and automation solutions (above) that generate greater visibility of supply chain operations, risks and opportunities.
• Advice on trade facilitation schemes (such as the Australian Trusted Trader Program and other Authorised Economic Operator schemes), including assistance with benefits analysis, scheme applications and ongoing compliance to mitigate friction at the border and reduce costs.
• Support to uplift supply chain capabilities and cargo security, such as review of global supply chain risk profiles, developing and implementing international supply chain security risk management frameworks and procedures and application for the Known Consignor scheme.

We can assist you with taking a proactive approach to biosecurity and ESG matters and staying ahead of any updates and changes, including:

• Advice on biosecurity matters to ensure compliance with any biosecurity laws e.g. permits or any other BICON requirements and illegal logging.
• Seeking streamlined regulatory biosecurity arrangements with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) (e.g. Approved Arrangements and Food Import Compliance Agreements).
• Environmental taxes and regimes at the border to ensure you have processes in place to navigate any potential new rules, such as a Border Carbon Adjustment (BCA) mechanism, battery stewardship scheme or plastic packaging taxes.
• Trade compliance governance framework to assist you with the implementation and execution of an end-to-end trade governance and compliance framework to enable centralised oversight and strategic planning.

Where goods are subject to export controls or sanctions, it is critical for businesses to obtain any relevant permits and maintain robust governance structures to ensure compliance with the required controls. We can assist with:

• Permit assessment to determine whether goods are restricted or controlled and permit requirements exist.
• Sanctions permit and export permit applications to ensure you can legally import or export the relevant goods into or out of Australia and mitigate border delays.
• Governance framework development (e.g. Export Control Compliance Program) to ensure that relevant processes, systems, documentation and an overarching governance framework exists to support compliance with sanctions and export control laws.

In an increasingly interconnected global economy, trade remedies play a vital role in maintaining fair competition. Governments around the world - including Australia - use these measures to protect domestic industries from the harmful effects of unfairly priced or subsidised imports. Understanding how these mechanisms work is essential for businesses engaged in international trade, whether as importers, exporters or domestic manufacturers.

What are trade remedies?

Trade remedies are policy tools that allow governments to take corrective action against imports that cause, or threaten to cause, material injury to a domestic industry. Under the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), there are three principal types of trade remedies: anti-dumping measures, countervailing measures and safeguard measures.

Anti-dumping 

Dumping occurs when a company exports a product at a price lower than the price it normally charges in its own home market (known as the "normal value"). This practice can undercut local producers and distort competition in the importing country.

Where dumping causes or threatens to cause material injury to a domestic industry, the importing country's government may impose anti-dumping duties - additional charges applied at the border to bring the price of the imported goods closer to their normal value. Before duties are imposed, an investigation must be conducted to establish that dumping is occurring, calculate its extent (the "dumping margin"), and demonstrate the resulting injury to the domestic industry.

In Australia, anti-dumping investigations are administered by the Anti-Dumping Commission, and goods subject to measures are recorded on the Dumping Commodity Register (DCR). Importers may, in certain circumstances, apply for an exemption from dumping duties or seek a refund of duties overpaid.

Subsidies and countervailing duties

A subsidy is a financial benefit provided by a government to its producers or exporters - such as direct grants, tax concessions, below-market loans or other forms of support. Subsidies may allow exporters to sell their goods into foreign markets at artificially low prices, placing domestic producers at a competitive disadvantage.

To counteract the injurious effect of subsidised imports, the government of the importing country may impose countervailing duties. These are additional duties designed to offset the benefit conferred by the foreign subsidy and restore a level playing field for domestic industry. Like anti-dumping measures, countervailing duties are imposed only after a formal investigation has demonstrated both the existence of the subsidy and the resulting material injury.

Safeguard measures

Safeguard measures are emergency trade restrictions that a government may impose when a surge in imports - regardless of whether they are dumped or subsidised - causes or threatens serious injury to a domestic industry. Unlike anti-dumping and countervailing measures, safeguards are temporary in nature and are designed to give the affected industry time to adjust to increased competition. They may take the form of tariff increases, quantitative restrictions or a combination of both.

Why it matters for your business

Anti-dumping and countervailing duties can significantly affect your supply chain costs, pricing strategies and market access. Duties imposed on imported goods may, in some cases, exceed the value of the goods themselves. It is important to note that these duties apply in addition to standard customs duty and indirect taxes, and they continue to apply even where a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is in place between Australia and the exporting country. 

Whether you are a domestic manufacturer seeking protection from unfair trade practices, an importer managing duty exposure, or an exporter responding to allegations of dumping or subsidisation in a foreign market, having access to specialist trade remedies expertise can make a material difference to your commercial outcomes.

How we can help

Our Global Trade team brings deep experience across all aspects of trade remedies, combining technical knowledge of anti-dumping and countervailing frameworks with practical, commercially focused advice. We work with manufacturers, importers, exporters and other interested parties to navigate the complexities of trade investigations and ensure your interests are effectively represented.

Our services include:

• Submissions and case representation - Preparing and lodging submissions in response to anti-dumping or countervailing investigations on behalf of interested parties, whether you are an Australian manufacturer, an importer or an overseas exporter/supplier.

• Duty refund assessments - Undertaking detailed assessments to determine whether there is scope to apply for an exemption from dumping or countervailing duties, and quantifying the extent to which duties may have been overpaid and are available to be refunded.

• Anti-dumping investigations and inquiries - Assisting with applications for new investigations, continuation inquiries and circumvention investigations to ensure ongoing protection for your industry.

• Review and appeal support - Supporting applications for review of measures, including reviews before the Anti-Dumping Review Panel, to challenge or adjust existing duty rates.

• Strategic trade advice - Providing proactive guidance on managing trade remedy exposure, including supply chain structuring, duty planning and monitoring of regulatory developments that may affect your business.

• Global coordination - Leveraging our worldwide network to assist with anti-dumping and countervailing matters across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring a consistent and coordinated approach for multinational businesses.