What does it offer?
The Space Concession (Item 69) allows goods to be imported into Australia duty free for use in authorised space projects. There are specific conditions to be met.
Item 69 was inserted into Schedule 4 of the Customs Tariff Act 1995. The concession became effective on 1 August 2002.
The Space Concession is intended to increase the competitiveness of the space industry in Australia while ensuring that international obligations are met.
Who may access the concession?
To access the Space Concession applicants must satisfy a two-stage process.
Space project authorisation
The first stage is space project authorisation. The project must be authorised as a ‘space project’ for the purposes of Item 69 by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.
Applicants submit a completed space project authorisation application form. It must include an Australian Industry Participation plan, in accordance with the criteria outlined in the Space Concession Policy and Administrative Guidelines.
The Australian Industry Participation plan should describe plans to engage Australian industry in space projects and to actively facilitate the engagement of the Industry Capability Network in the identification of Australian capability.
Eligible goods determination
The second stage of the application process is the eligible goods determination.
Goods to be imported must be for use in an authorised space project. A delegate of the Chief Executive Officer of Customs determines whether the goods to be imported are for use in an authorised space project and therefore fall within the scope of the program.
Applicants submit an eligible goods application form in accordance with the criteria outlined in the Space Concession Policy and Administrative Guidelines.
Who may apply?
- An applicant for a space project authorisation must be the project proponent.
- An applicant for an eligible goods determination must be the project proponent or a person the project proponent declares in writing to be participating in the authorised project.
- Applicants may be lodged by an agent authorised in writing.
Who to contact for assistance with an application
- AusIndustry customer service managers are available to assist applicants to develop and focus their applications.
- Applications will be directed to a customer service manager in Canberra who will work with the applicant from their initial inquiry through to completion.
- Applicants should contact AusIndustry at the earliest possible stage of a project for information on the Space Concession and to provide details of their proposed project.
When applications must be lodged
A project must be authorised as a ‘space project’ before an eligible goods application will be assessed.
- An applicant may lodge applications for both stages simultaneously.
- The Space Concession will operate prospectively. Applications for both the space project authorisation and eligible goods determination stages must be lodged before the goods are imported into Australia.
- An application lodged after the goods have been imported may be refused.
For further information on the Space Concession
Write to the Policy By-Laws Section in AusIndustry:
The Product Manager
Policy By-Laws
GPO BOX 9839
CANBERRA
ACT 2601
Ph: 02 6213 7802
Email: aiact@innovation.gov.au
You can also look up these useful websites:
To encourage the development of the Australian space industry, the Commonwealth Government has legislated to provide concessional entry for certain goods imported for use in space projects.
These guidelines cover Item 69 of the Customs Tariff Act 1995, which enables the duty-free entry of certain goods imported into Australia for use in authorised space projects. The concession became effective on 1 August 2001.
Document Disclaimer:
This program documentation has not been updated to reflect changes to the Government that occurred on 3 December 2007. This is because the document is historical.
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