RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
24January 1995
ORGANIZATION
(95-0126)
Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services Original: English
COMMUNICATION FROM AUSTRALIA
Response toQuestionnaire onMaritime Transport Services
The following communication iscirculated attherequest ofAustralia toMembers ofthe
Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services.
_______________
I. Market structure
Vessels
1. Forthepurpose ofclarity, wehave provided abreak-up ofthetotal nationally-owned fleet
intooverseas andcoastal.
Structure ofNationally-Owned orOperated Fleet
Overseas andCoastal Fleet (over 2,000 DWT)
Types ofvessels Number ofvessels Deadweight tonnage
National flag Foreign flag National flag Foreign flag
Oiltankers 9 983,658
Liquefied gascarriers 5 219,759
Petroleum products carriers 7 231,877
Chemical tankers 1 9,939
Combination carriers
Ore/bulk carriers 29 1,708,832
General cargo 4 2 12,468 8,855
Container ships 8 206,510
Refrigerated carriers
Specialized cargo 3 1 39,850 23,365
Ro-ro 4 2 35,580 9,400S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
Page 2
Structure ofNationally-Owned orOperated Fleet
Overseas andCoastal Fleet (over 2,000 DWT) (cont 'd)
Types ofvessels Number ofvessels Deadweight tonnage
National flag Foreign flag National flag Foreign flag
Ferries and passengers 1 4,110
Other
Allvessels 71 5 3,452,587 41,620
Structure ofNationally-Owned orOperated Fleet
Overseas Fleet (over 2,000 DWT)(a)
Types ofvessels Number ofvessels Deadweight tonnage
National flag Foreign flag National flag Foreign flag
Oiltankers 6(3) 693,122
Liquefied gascarriers 3 200,273
Chemical tankers
Combination carriers
Ore/bulk carriers 7 (7) 953,418
General cargo 1 2 3,454 8,855
Container ships 8 206,510
Refrigerated carriers
Specialized cargo 1 (1) 23,365
Ro-ro
Ferries and passengers
Other
Allvessels 25 3 2,056,777 32,220
(a)()Figures relate tothenumber ofvessels which occasionally undertake coastal voyages.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
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Structure ofNationally-Owned orOperated Fleet
Coastal Fleet (over 2,000 DWT)(a)
Types ofvessels Number ofvessels Deadweight tonnage
National flag Foreign flag National flag Foreign flag
Oiltankers 3(3) - 290,534
Liquefied gascarriers 2(1) - 19,486
Petroleum product carriers 7(1) - 231,877
Chemical tankers 1 - 9,939
Combination carriers - -
Ore/bulk carriers 22 (3) - 755,414
General cargo 3 - 9,014
Container ships - -
Refrigerated carriers - -
Specialized cargo 3 - 39,850
Ro-ro 4 2 35,586 9,400
Ferries and passengers 1 - 4,110
Other - -
Allvessels 46 2 1,395,810 9,400
(a)()Figures relate tothenumber ofvessels which occasionally undertake international voyages.
Trade
2. Australia 'sinternational merchandise trade 1992/93
Merchandise trade Volume (tonnes) Value
-bysea 365.7 million $92 billion
76%
-byair N/A* $29 billion
24%
Total merchandise trade N/A $121 billion
*Volume byaircomponent unavailable.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
Page 4
3. Australia 'sinternational seaborne exports totalled 327million tonnes in1992-93, valued at
$A49billion. This comprised about 80percent(byvalue) oftotal merchandise exports ($A61billion)
in1992-93.
Forimports, thevolume ofseaborne trade stood at38.7 million tonnes in1992-93, valued
at$A43billion. This represents about 72percentoftotal merchandise imports ofnearly $A60billion
in1992-93.
4. Australian flagvessel shares oftotal seatrade in1992-93 were:
Volume Value
Million tonnes %oftotal $million %oftotal
Exports
ofwhich
-Liner
-Bulk8.4
0.6
7.82.6 3,188
1,093
2,0956.5
Imports
ofwhich
-Liner
-Bulk3.2
0.4
2.88.3 3,705
1,456
2,2498.6
Total seaborne trade
ofwhich
-Liner
-Bulk11.6
1.0
10.63.2 6,893
2,549
4,3447.4
5. Forthepurposes ofthisquestion, home trading isconsidered tobethecoastal shipping task.
Onthisbasis, theestimated share ofcross-trading asaproportion ofthetotal coastal shipping task
is2.2percent.
Organization ofcargo
6. Thevalue oftotal international seatrade carried in1992-93 byvessel type was:
Exports Imports
$A(million) %oftotal $A(million) %oftotal
Liner 15,370 31.4 23,204 53.9
Bulk
-Dry 25,152 51.3 9,658 22.4
-Liquid 3,276 6.7 3,963 9.2
-Other 5,202 10.6 6,244 14.5
Total 49,000 43,069
Note: "Other" bulk above includes products carried bygascarriers, ro-ro vessels andcertain dry/liquid materials.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
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7. Australia 'sinternational liner shipping trade:
Volume Value
Million tonnes %oftotal $million %oftotal
Exports
-conference
-non-conference5.3
4.455
4510,300
5,07067
33
Imports
-conference
-non-conference3.7
2.559
4115,779
7,42668
32
Total liner trade
-conference
-non-conference9.0
6.957
4326,079
12,49668
32
8. Nil.
9. Nil.
10. Itisestimated thattheshare (byvolume) oftotal liner cargo thatiscontainerised maybearound
75-80 percent. Estimates fortheshare ofcontainerized liner cargo carried only onfully cellular
container vessels for1992-93 are: (figures may berevised).
Volume Value
Million tonnes %oftotal $A million %oftotal
Exports
-containerized
-total5.4
9.755.6 12,126
15,37078.9
Imports
-containerised
-total3.7
6.259.7 18,774
23,20480.9
Total liner trade
-containerised
-total9.1
15.957.2 30,915
38,57480.1
11. Theproportion ofliner cargo carried bymeans ofmultimodal transport varies according to
route andcargo type. Noestimates areavailable ontheextent ofcargo carriage bymeans ofmultimodal
transport. However, theamount isnotthought tobesignificant.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
Page 6
Ports andauxiliary services
12. Total annual national traffic forinternational trade cargoes through thenation 's29major bulk
andgeneral trading ports isaround 20,000 vessels calls peryear. Sixty percentofinternational cargo
ishandled bythebulk ports ofDampier, Port Headland, Port Walcott, Newcastle, Port Kembla, Hay
Point andGladstone.
Twenty-one ports handled 90percentofthecountry 'sinternational cargo. Total international
traffic through these 21ports isaround 15,400 vessel calls peryear. Around 5,400 arebybulk vessels
greater than 30,000 DWTs. Themajority oftheremainder arecontainer vessels with 3,000 being
fully cellular container ships.
13. Nodetails areavailable ontheextent towhich foreign suppliers arepresent intheauxiliary
services indicated. Allsuch services are,however, open toforeign suppliers (seeQuestions 9/10,
Regulatory Structure).
14. Yes.
II. Regulatory structure
General
1. Sectoral measures
Australia 'sapproach tomaritime transport isconsistent with OECD principles offostering
freecirculation ofshipping infaircompetition andaims toensure thatAustralian shippers have access
tothewidest possible choice ofreliable, efficient andcompetitive shipping services.
Australia does notrestrict entry byforeign operators initsinternational trades, provided vessels
comply with Australian safety requirements which arethemselves based oninternational conventions,
nordoes itimpose anyrestrictions onthechoice ofshipping linebyexporters. While there are
regulations thatgovern theconduct ofAustralia 'soutbound liner trades, their objective istoensure
thatAustralianexportershavecontinuedaccesstoadequatelinercargoshippingservicesatinternationally
competitive freight rates. These regulations arenon-discriminatory (seeQuestion 3).
Allships carrying cargo orpassengers onAustralia 'sinterstate coastal trade must belicensed.
Toobtain alicence operators arerequired tomeet Australian wage conditions forcrewing ofvessels
andnotbeinreceipt ofsubsidies from foreign governments.
AttheFederal level these regulations areadministered bytheDepartment ofTransport and
theAustralian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). TheDepartment isprincipally responsible for
shipping policy, coastal shipping matters (including cabotage) andtheregulation ofinternational liner
cargo shipping, while AMSA 'scharter covers arange ofmaritime safety andoilpollution related
functions.
The operations ofport authorities andports within Australia fallprincipally within the
responsibilitiesofStateandTerritoryGovernments.Thereareanumberofprivatelyownedandoperated
bulk ports inAustralia.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
Page 7
Horizontal measures
TheTreasurer isresponsible fortheadministration oftheGovernment 'sforeign investment
policy andisassisted inthistaskbytheForeign Investment Review Board (FIRB).
TheGovernment 'sforeign investment policy applies toallsectors andisdesigned toencourage
foreigndirectinvestmentconsistentwiththeneedsoftheAustraliancommunity,includingtheexpansion
ofprivate investment, thedevelopment ofinternationally competitive andexport-orientated industries
andthecreation ofemployment opportunities.
Inmost industry sectors (including themaritime transport services sector), small takeovers
ofexisting businesses (less than $A5million) andtheestablishment ofnew businesses (less than
$A10million) areexempt from notification.
Thetypes ofproposals byforeign interests toinvest inAustralia which should benotified to
theGovernment canbesummarized as:
- acquisition ofsubstantial interests inexisting Australian businesses with total assets over
$A5million;
- plans toestablish new businesses involving atotal investment over $A10million;
- direct investments byforeign governments ortheir agencies irrespective ofsize;
- acquisitions ofnon-residential commercial realestate valued over $A5million;
- acquisitions ofrealestate fordevelopment irrespective ofsize;
- takeovers ofoffshore companies whose Australian subsidiaries orassets arevalued over $A
20million oraccount formore than 50percent ofthetarget company 'sglobal assets; and
- proposals where anydoubt exists astowhether they arenotifiable.
Aforeign interest isbriefly defined as:
- anatural person notordinarily resident inAustralia.
. Anatural person who isacitizen ofaforeign country istaken tobenotordinarily
resident ofAustralia unless (a)thatperson hasactually been inAustralia for200days
intheprevious 12months and(b)there isnolegal limitation onthatperson remaining
inAustralia indefinitely; and
- anycorporation, business ortrust inwhich there isasubstantial foreign interest, i.e.inwhich
asingle foreigner (and anyassociates) has15percentormore oftheownership orinwhich
several foreigners (andanyassociates) have 40percentormore inaggregate oftheownership.
TheGovernment registers, butnormally raises noobjections to,proposals above notification
thresholds where therelevant total assets/total investment fallsbelow $A50million. TheGovernment
examines proposals toacquire existing businesses (with total assets over $A50million) orestablish
newbusinesses (with atotal investment over $50million) andraises noobjections tothose proposals
unless they arecontrary tothenational interest. Offshore takeovers donotgenerally raise national
interest issues.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
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Measures relating tothemovement ofnatural persons arecovered inQuestion 8.
2. There isnospecific legislation (other than safety related requirements) regulating Australia 's
bulk shipping operations.
3. Part XoftheTrade Practices Act1974 (which isAustralia 'santi-trust legislation) regulates
Australia'sinternationallinercargoshippingservices.PartXprovidesshippingconferenceswithlimited
exemptions from thepro-competition provisions oftheAct, provided they meet certain conditions.
Inorder toobtain these exemptions, outward conferences arerequired toregister agreements
onapublic record, andtonegotiate minimum levels ofservice andother conditions ofcarriage with
thedesignated peak shipper body, theAustralian Peak Shippers Association. Inward conferences receive
automatic exemption from theprovisions oftheTrade Practices Act, andarenotrequired tomeet the
conditions applicable tooutward conferences.
4. There isnooverall orspecial regulatory approach applied tomultimodal transport. There are
norestrictions onmultimodal transport operators which would inhibit reasonable andnon-discriminatory
access to,anduseof,thevarious forms oftransport activities.
5. InAustralia,thepowertomakelawswithrespecttotheconstruction,developmentandoperation
ofports resides largely with theState andNorthern Territory Parliaments. Themajority ofports are
controlled byState Government statutory authorities orgovernment business enterprises. TheFederal
Government isresponsible fortheprovision andmaintenance ofanumber ofrelatively minor port
facilities inexternal territories directly under itsadministration.
There areasmall number ofprivately controlled ports, generally more remote single userports
dedicated tohandling particular bulk commodities, established andoperating under State legislation.
AuxiliaryservicesinAustralia'sportscanbesubjecttobothCommonwealthandStatelegislation.
Until thelate1980s, most auxiliary services such asstevedoring, towage andpilotage were either
undertaken byState Government portauthorities or,where theywere performed byother parties, the
port authorities leased orlicensed such operators.
Over thepastfiveyears orsomany portauthorities have been removing themselves from the
provision ofthese auxiliary services. Licences fortheprivate provision oftowage, pilotage andother
auxiliary services arenow generally issued toprivate persons without restriction other than subject
tothose persons ensuring asatisfactory standard andlevel ofservice andtocompliance with theState
andCommonwealth legislative regimes applying toallsuch businesses. Where exclusive licences are
issued, they areoften issued through public tender.
6. Weunderstand "international maritime transport" tocover thetransport ofpassengers orcargo
byshipfromonecountrytoanothercountry,i.e.allinternationalshippingoperationsexcludingcabotage.
Inthenarrower area ofliner transport theterm "international liner cargo shipping service"
isdefined inPartXoftheTrade Practices Act(see3above). Itmeans aliner cargo shipping service
forthetransport ofcargo byseafrom aplace inAustralia toaplace outside Australia orfrom aplace
outside Australia toaplace inAustralia.
7. There isnodefinition of"national shipping enterprise" inAustralian legislation. However,
forthepurposes ofthisquestion, weinterpret anational shipping enterprise tomean anenterprise which
operates ships entitled toberegistered inAustralia (seeQuestion 11).S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
Page 9
Market access
8.(a) No. Access byforeign nationals tothenational shipping market inrespect ofport
orauxiliary services islimited onlythrough therequirement toobtain leases andlicences from regulatory
authorities, orthrough therequirement tocomply with legislation which alsoapplies toAustralian
nationals.
8.(b) No.
8.(c) Notapplicable.
8.(d)(i) Yes, horizontal measures.
8.(e)(ii) Yes, horizontal measures.
There areimmigration requirements which may impact ontheability touseforeign labour
onNational flagshipping, oronin-shore labour activities.
With regard toimmigration requirements, Australia hasnonumerical quotas forthetemporary
movement ofnatural persons asservice suppliers. There are,however, measures concerning theentry
andtemporary stayofnatural persons inthefollowing categories: executives, independent executives,
service sellers andspecialists. These measures aresetoutinAustralia 'srevised conditional offer.
Australiausestheexpression"businesspersonnel"whichcoversexecutive,professional,technical
andother officers considered necessary fortheoperation ofabusiness (including intercorporate transfers
fordevelopment purposes).
9. No. However, there isarequirement under PartXoftheTrade Practices Actforevery ocean
carrier who provides international liner cargo shipping services to,atalltimes, berepresented forthe
purposes oftheActbyaperson who:
(a) isanindividual resident inAustralia;
(b) hasbeen appointed bytheocean carrier agents astheocean carrier 'sagents; and
(c) isspecified intheregister ofocean carrier agents astheocean carrier 'sagent.
10. No. Itispossible, subject tothehorizontal measures noted intheresponse toQuestion 1for
aforeign owned andcontrolled company toacquire upto100percentofacompany intheAustralian
maritime transport services sector. However, inthespecific case oftheAustralian National Line,
theAustralian Government iscurrently engaged inrestructuring theCompany withaview toitspossible
sale. TheGovernment willbeexamining thequestion offoreign equity participation aspartofany
saleprocess.
11. Every Australian-owned shipgreater than24metres intonnage length must beregistered under
theShip Registration Act1981. Australian-owned means theshipismajority-owned byanAustralian
national, (i.e.anAustralian citizen, abody corporate established byorunder lawoftheCommonwealth
orofaState Territory; ortheCommonwealth ofaState oraTerritory). Ships ondemise charter
toanAustralian-based operator may make application under theActtoberegistered tocarry the
Australian flag.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
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11.(a) No.
11.(b) No.
11.(c) No.
National treatment
12. There arenospecific measures which discriminate infavour ofnational operators, however,
treatment fortaxpurposes maydiffer. Forexample theGovernment isconsidering exempting seafarers
serving onAustralian ships engaged oninternational trade from income tax.
Access toanduseofport facilities
13. Forthemajor capital ports, andthelarger regional ports, allofthelisted services aregenerally
available. Inthose ports where thefullrange ofservices isnormally notavailable (e.g. nobunkering
orpilotage), theport authority cangenerally supply theservice ifgiven sufficient advance notice.
Anumber ofports canundertake minor repairs only, andanumber ofregional ports have
notowage facilities.
14. Some oftheservices listed inQuestion 13aremandatory.
Pilotage iscompulsory forentry toalarge number ofAustralian ports. However, some ports
exempt vessels under certain lengths, deadweight tonnages ordraughts, while others exempt vessels
whose masters hold current Pilotage Exemption Certificates forthatport.
Towage ismandatory inasmall number ofports. Inallthese cases therequirements are
determined bytheindividual port authority having regard tolocal conditions.
Allvessels in"declared ports" under theQuarantine Act1908 arerequired under Quarantine
Regulation 33(C) tomake available forcollection byauthorized collectors allanimal waste, organic
refuse, andgalley scraps ofquarantinable waste from thevessel.
15. Where anyofthelisted services areprovided inaport, such provision isgiven onabasis which
does notdiscriminate with respect tonationality.
16. There arenomeasures ofthekind indicated.
17. There arenomeasures ofthekind indicated.
18. There arenomeasures ofthekind indicated.
19. No.
Most-favoured-nation treatment
20. No.
21. Notapplicable.
22. No.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
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23. No.
24. There arenomeasures which grant preferential treatment toonecountry over another inrespect
ofaccess toanduseofport andharbour facilities.
25. No.
26. No.
Government procurement
27. Non-commercial cargoes areconsidered tobecargoes which areprocured bytheGovernment
forusebyGovernment oritsagencies andarenotforresale orcommercial supply tothepublic.
Examples arerelief/aid goods anddefence equipment. There aregenerally norestrictions onaccess
tonon-commercial cargoes although there may beinstances where restrictions may beimposed.
28. No.
Competition Law
29. TheTrade Practices Act1974 (theAct) promotes competition inAustralian industry. Under
itsprovisions certain types ofconduct that limit competition such ascollusion, price fixing by
competitors, exclusive agreements thatrestrict competition andmisuse ofmarket power areprohibited.
Part XoftheTrade Practices Actprovides aspecial competition regime forliner conferences and
designated shipper bodies bygranting limited exemptions from anumber ofrestrictive trade practices
contained intheAct. Thepurpose ofthese exemptions istoensure Australian exporters have continued
access tooutwards shipping services ofadequate frequency andreliability atfreight rates thatare
internationally competitive.
Inbound conferences aregiven commensurate exemptions from theTrade Practices Actwithout
thecounterbalancing requirements which apply tooutward conferences.
(a) Anti-competitive arrangements under which outward shipping conferences canlegally operate
areindividually exempted bytheregistration ofagreements under Part XoftheAct. This
caninclude both conference andother types ofrestrictive agreements (e.g. consortia, pooling
agreements anddiscussion agreements). Inbound conferences arecovered byablock exemption
which removes theneed forregistration ofindividual agreements.
(b) PartXexemptions cover theshipping portion ofliner transportation services only. However,
agreementsnegotiatedbyconferenceswithshipperstoprovideforthroughcarriageusingmultiple
modes oftransport atafixed door-to-door ratearepermissable.
(c) Part XoftheTrade Practices Actprohibits acompany with substantial market power from
using thatpower toharm competition oracompetitor. Where aconference hassubstantial
market power, theindividual members arealsodeemed tohave thatpower. This applies both
toinwards andoutwards liner shipping services provided byconference andnon-conference
carriers.
Carriers must notdiscriminate between shippers requiring similar outwards shipping services
onaparticular trade route, totheextent that itlessens competition inthat market.
Non-conference ocean carriers deemed tohave substantial market power mayalsoberequired
tonegotiate with shippers over service andfreight arrangements.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
Page 12
(d) InAustralia, shipper bodies aredesignated under Part XoftheTrade Practices Actifthey
meetcertainrequirements,ie..arecommerciallyorientatedorganizationsestablishedandfunded
byandfortheir members butarenotregulated perse.Under PartXexporters andproducers
ofexportswhobelongtodesignatedshipperbodiesareempoweredtoacttogetherinnegotiations
with conferences andnon-conference lines. Thenegotiating framework isforexport shippers
only.
Shipping conferences
30. InAustralia conferences operate under aclosed system ofmembership. While there areno
formal provisions governing theentry ofnewmembers, itisnormally subject tonegotiation with, and
approval by,existing members.
Inrelation towithdrawal, PartXspecifically requires thatanagreement must expressly permit
anyparty toanagreement towithdraw onreasonable notice without penalty.
31. While itisnotmandatory tonotify conference agreements, they must beregistered with the
Registrar ofLiner Shipping inorder toobtain theexemptions thatareavailable through PartXofthe
Trade Practices Act(TPA). Acceptance offinal registration issubject totheregistrar being satisfied
thatanagreement complies with theprovisions ofPartX,andtheparties have undertaken negotiations
onminimum service levels. These provisions arevery specific andthere islittle discretion available
totheRegistrar ofLiner Shipping.
Thelegislation alsoprovides shippers with access totheTrade Practices Commission, which
istheinvestigatory authority responsible forensuring compliance with theGovernment 'scompetition
policy, toinvestigate complaints andreport totheresponsible Minister.
Where itisfound thataconference hasfailed tocomply with itsobligations under theAct,
theMinister may, inexceptional circumstances, cancel theregistration ofanagreement oraparticular
provision (orparticular conduct) ofanagreement. This action would notnormally betaken before
theCommission hasreported onthematters ofconcern andtheMinister hasundertaken consultations
with theparties concerned. Inaddition theprovisions ofPart Xallow theMinister, atanytime, to
accept anundertaking bytheparties toaregistered conference agreement inrelation tomatters that
may have been under investigation.
Deregistration does notprevent theconference from operating, butbyremoving theexemptions
under PartX,itsactivities andoperations become fully subject tothegeneral competition provisions
oftheTPA.
32. There isnorequirement tofileornotify tariffs under Part X.
33. No.
34.(a) Loyalty agreements must notinvolve third lineforcing. However, theparties andconduct
between parties toaloyalty agreement arespecifically exempted byPartXfrom theprovisions
intheActdealing with anti-competitive agreements andexclusive dealing aslong asthese
activities areconsistent with anagreement which isregistered andislimited tooutwards liner
shipping services.
34.(b) InAustralia 'soutward trades agreements between conferences andother carriers (accords and
discussion agreements) aresubject tothesame registration, negotiation andreview mechanisms
asthecollective agreements ofconferences.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.4
Page 13
34.(c) Apart from theinclusion ofminimum service levels inregistered conference agreements, the
terms andconditions of"service contracts" negotiated between conferences andshippers,
including freight rates andcargo commitments donothave tobenotified, andcanremain
confidential totheparties concerned.
35. Shippers areauthorized under PartXtoacttogether innegotiations withconferences, principally
through thedesignated peak shipper body, theAustralian Peak Shippers Association (APSA) butalso
through arange ofspecific interest designated secondary shipper bodies.
36. PartXrequires thatconferences negotiate with thepeak shipper body inrelation tonegotiable
shipping arrangements whenever reasonably requested todoso,andtomake available anyinformation
reasonably necessary forthenegotiation.
Inthiscontext, negotiable shipping arrangements relate toterms andconditions applying to
outwards liner services, including butnotlimited tofreight rates, frequency ofsailing andports of
calls. There isnoformal requirement thattheparties reach agreement asaresult ofthese negotiations
andconferences may impose terms andconditions following thenegotiation process. However,
differences between shippers andcarriers onnegotiable shipping arrangements areusually resolved
commercially byagreement.
Inmost cases theGovernment isnotdirectly involved inthenegotiating process. Where
appropriate however, anauthorized officer oftheDepartment ofTransport maybecalled upon toattend
particular negotiations between theparties andtoadvise onmatters pertaining totherequirements and
administration ofPartX.Thedesignated officer hasnoexecutive power andcannot force negotiations
toaconclusion.
Where adispute arises shippers have theoption ofmaking aformal complaint under PartX
which may bereferred forfurther investigation andreport bytheTrade Practices Commission. The
outcome ofaninquiry may give risetotheresponsible Minister seeking specific undertakings from
theconference orshipping lines which would address theproblem, orinextreme circumstances to
deregister agreements.
Recent decisions bytheAustralian Government willinfuture strengthen therange ofpenalties
forcontravention ofanundertaking byaparty toaregistered agreement andalso provide for
compensation toshippers who have incurred losses asadirect result ofcertain breaches ofPart X.