{"id":"C1905A00016","name":"Commerce (Trade Descriptions) Act 1905","slug":"commerce-trade-descriptions-act-1905","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"16 of 1905","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":88,"registerId":"C2024C00554","compilationNumber":"15","startDate":"2024-10-14","status":"InForce","reasons":[{"affect":"Amend","markdown":"sch 10 (items 12-14) of the [Administrative Review Tribunal (Consequential and Transitional Provisions No. 2) Act 2024](/C2024A00039)","dateChanged":null,"amendedByTitle":null,"affectedByTitle":{"name":"Administrative Review Tribunal (Consequential and Transitional Provisions No. 2) Act 2024","year":2024,"number":39,"titleId":"C2024A00039","provisions":"sch 10 (items 12-14)","seriesType":"Act","optionalSeriesNumber":null}}],"registeredAt":"2024-10-14T07:13:32.288Z"},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Part I","sectionType":"part","heading":"Preliminary","content":"## Part I—Preliminary","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Short title and commencement","content":"#### 1 Short title and commencement\n\n  This Act may be cited as the Commerce (Trade Descriptions) Act 1905 and shall commence on a day to be fixed by proclamation not being earlier than six months after the passing of this Act.","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"1A","sectionType":"section","heading":"General administration of Act in relation to imports","content":"#### 1A General administration of Act in relation to imports\n\n  The Comptroller‑General of Customs has the general administration of this Act in so far as it relates to imports.","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"2","sectionType":"section","heading":"Incorporation","content":"#### 2 Incorporation\n\n  This Act shall be incorporated and read as one with the Customs Act 1901.\n\n> Note: Chapter 2 of the Criminal Code applies to this Act in the way described in section 5AA of the Customs Act 1901.","sortOrder":3},{"sectionNumber":"3","sectionType":"section","heading":"Interpretation","content":"#### 3 Interpretation\n\n  In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:\n\n> Comptroller‑General of Customs means the person who is the Comptroller‑General of Customs in accordance with subsection 11(3) or 14(2) of the Australian Border Force Act 2015.\n\n> Officer means an officer of Customs.\n\n> Trade description, in relation to any goods, means any description, statement, indication, or suggestion, direct or indirect:\n\n    (a) as to the nature, number, quantity, quality, purity, class, grade, measure, gauge, size, or weight of the goods; or\n    (b) as to the country or place in or at which the goods were made or produced; or\n    (c) as to the manufacturer or producer of the goods or the person by whom they were selected, packed, or in any way prepared for the market; or\n    (d) as to the mode of manufacturing, producing, selecting, packing, or otherwise preparing the goods; or\n    (e) as to the material or ingredients of which the goods are composed, or from which they are derived; or\n    (f) as to the goods being the subject of an existing patent, privilege, or copyright;\n  and includes an import entry relating to goods; and any mark which according to the custom of the trade or common repute is commonly taken to be an indication of any of the above matters shall be deemed to be a trade description within the meaning of this Act.\n\n> False trade description means a trade description which, by reason of anything contained therein or omitted therefrom, is false or likely to mislead in a material respect as regards the goods to which it is applied, and includes every alteration of a trade description, whether by way of addition, effacement, or otherwise, which makes the description false or likely to mislead in a material respect.","sortOrder":4},{"sectionNumber":"4","sectionType":"section","heading":"Application of trade description","content":"#### 4 Application of trade description\n\n  (1) A false trade description shall be deemed to be applied to goods if:\n    (a) it is applied to the goods themselves; or\n    (b) it is applied to any covering, label, reel, or thing used in connexion with the goods; or\n    (c) it is used in any manner likely to lead to the belief that it describes or designates the goods.\n  (1A) A trade description which is required by the regulations to be applied to any goods shall be deemed to be applied to the goods if:\n    (a) it is applied to the goods themselves; or\n    (b) it is used in relation to the goods in the manner prescribed.\n  (2) Covering includes any stopper, glass, bottle, vessel, box, capsule, case, frame, or wrapper; and label includes any band or ticket.","sortOrder":5},{"sectionNumber":"Part II","sectionType":"part","heading":"Inspection of imports and exports","content":"## Part II—Inspection of imports and exports","sortOrder":6},{"sectionNumber":"5","sectionType":"section","heading":"Inspection of imports and exports","content":"#### 5 Inspection of imports and exports\n\n  (1) An officer may inspect and examine goods that are, or that the officer reasonably believes are, goods prescribed by the regulations which are imported, or which are entered for export or brought for export to any wharf or place or are in course of manufacture or preparation for export.\n  (2) The officer may where practicable take samples of any goods inspected by him or her pursuant to this section, and the samples so taken shall be dealt with as prescribed.\n  (3) For the purposes of this section an officer may enter any ship, wharf or place, and may open any packages, and may do all things necessary to enable him or her to carry out his or her powers and duties under this section.\n  (4) The Comptroller‑General of Customs may, by writing, give directions concerning:\n    (a) the circumstances in which the powers under this section may be exercised; and\n    (b) the officers of Customs who are entitled to exercise those powers; and\n    (c) the manner and frequency of reporting to the Comptroller‑General of Customs concerning the exercise of those powers.\n  (5) A direction given for the purposes of subsection (4) is a legislative instrument.","sortOrder":7},{"sectionNumber":"6","sectionType":"section","heading":"Notice of intention to export","content":"#### 6 Notice of intention to export\n\n  (1) Every person who intends to export any goods of a kind or class required under this Act to be inspected or examined by an officer, shall, if required to do so by regulation, before the goods are shipped, give notice, in accordance with the regulations, to an officer of his or her intention to export the goods and of the place where the goods may be inspected.\n\nPenalty: 10 penalty units.\n\n  (2) For the purposes of an offence against subsection (1), strict liability applies to the physical element of circumstance of the offence, that the notice required to be given is notice in accordance with the regulations.\n\n> Note: For strict liability, see section 6.1 of the Criminal Code.","sortOrder":8},{"sectionNumber":"Part III","sectionType":"part","heading":"Imports","content":"## Part III—Imports","sortOrder":9},{"sectionNumber":"7","sectionType":"section","heading":"Prohibition of imports not bearing prescribed trade description","content":"#### 7 Prohibition of imports not bearing prescribed trade description\n\n  (1) The regulations may prohibit the importation or introduction into Australia of any goods unless there is applied to them a trade description of such character, relating to such matters, and applied in such manner, as is prescribed.\n  (2) Subject to subsection (3), goods imported in contravention of any regulation made for the purposes of subsection (1) are forfeited to the Crown.\n  (3) If the Comptroller‑General of Customs is satisfied that the contravention was not intentional or reckless:\n    (a) the Comptroller‑General of Customs may, by notice in writing given to the owner or importer of the goods concerned, require the owner or importer:\n    (i) to apply the prescribed trade description; or\n    (ii) to export the goods;\n    within a period specified in the notice; and\n    (b) if the owner or importer complies with the notice, subsection (2) does not apply in respect of the goods.\n  (3A) Despite subsection 14(2) of the Legislation Act 2003, regulations made for the purposes of this section may make provision in relation to a matter by applying, adopting or incorporating, with or without modification, any matter contained in an information standard as in force or existing from time to time.\n  (3B) For the purposes of subsection (3A), an information standard is an information standard made under section 134, or declared under section 135, of Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.\n  (4) No regulations made for the purposes of this section shall take effect until after the expiration of not less than three months from notification in the Gazette.","sortOrder":10},{"sectionNumber":"8","sectionType":"section","heading":"Imported goods found in Australia without prescribed trade description","content":"#### 8 Imported goods found in Australia without prescribed trade description\n\n  All imported goods to which a trade description is by the regulations required to be applied, and which are found in Australia without the prescribed trade description, shall until the contrary is proved be deemed, subject to the regulations, to have been imported in contravention of the regulations.","sortOrder":11},{"sectionNumber":"9","sectionType":"section","heading":"Importation of falsely marked goods","content":"#### 9 Importation of falsely marked goods\n\n  (1) A person shall not import any goods to which a false trade description is applied.\n\nPenalty: 100 penalty units.\n\n  (2) In a prosecution for an offence against subsection (1) it is a defence if the defendant proves that he or she did not intentionally import the goods in contravention of that subsection.\n\n> Note: For rules about representations as to the country of origin of goods, see section 10AA.","sortOrder":12},{"sectionNumber":"9A","sectionType":"section","heading":"Imported goods found in Australia with false trade description","content":"#### 9A Imported goods found in Australia with false trade description\n\n  All imported goods found in Australia which bear a false trade description shall, until the contrary is proved, be deemed to have been imported in contravention of this Act.\n\n> Note: For rules about representations as to the country of origin of goods, see section 10AA.","sortOrder":13},{"sectionNumber":"10","sectionType":"section","heading":"Forfeiture of falsely marked goods","content":"#### 10 Forfeiture of falsely marked goods\n\n  (1) Goods to which a false trade description is applied are prohibited to be imported.\n\n> Note: For rules about representations as to the country of origin of goods, see section 10AA.\n\n  (2) Subject to subsection (3), goods imported in contravention of subsection (1) are forfeited to the Crown.\n  (3) If the Comptroller‑General of Customs is satisfied that the contravention was not intentional or reckless:\n    (a) the Comptroller‑General of Customs may, by notice in writing given to the owner or importer of the goods concerned, require the owner or importer to correct the false trade description within a period specified in the notice; and\n    (b) if the owner or importer complies with the notice, subsection (2) does not apply in respect of the goods.","sortOrder":14},{"sectionNumber":"10AA","sectionType":"section","heading":"Country of origin representations do not contravene certain provisions","content":"#### 10AA Country of origin representations do not contravene certain provisions\n\n  (1) For the purposes of sections 9, 9A and 10, goods:\n    (a) do not have a false trade description applied to them; and\n    (b) do not bear a false trade description;\n  only by the making of a representation of a kind referred to in an item in the first column of the table in subsection 255(1) of Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, if the requirements of the corresponding item in the second column are met.\n  (2) Subsections 255(2), (5), (7), (8) and (9) of Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 apply in relation to subsection (1) of this section in a way corresponding to the way in which they apply in relation to subsection 255(1) of that Schedule.\n  (3) Regulations made for the purposes of subsection 255(3) of Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 apply in relation to subsection 255(2) of that Schedule (as applied by subsection (2) of this section) in a way corresponding to the way in which they apply in relation to subsection 255(2) of that Schedule.","sortOrder":15},{"sectionNumber":"Part IV","sectionType":"part","heading":"Exports","content":"## Part IV—Exports","sortOrder":16},{"sectionNumber":"10A","sectionType":"section","heading":"Application of Part","content":"#### 10A Application of Part\n\n  This Part does not apply in relation to goods that are prescribed goods within the meaning of the Export Control Act 2020.","sortOrder":17},{"sectionNumber":"11","sectionType":"section","heading":"Prohibition of exports not bearing the prescribed trade description","content":"#### 11 Prohibition of exports not bearing the prescribed trade description\n\n  (1) The regulations may prohibit the exportation of any goods, unless there is applied to them a trade description of such character, relating to such matters, and applied in such manner, as is prescribed.\n  (2) Subject to subsection (3), goods to which the prescribed trade description has not been applied that are entered for export, put on board any ship for export or brought to any wharf or place for export, are forfeited to the Crown.\n  (3) If the Comptroller‑General of Customs is satisfied that the entry for export, putting on board a ship for export, or bringing to a wharf or place for export, of goods to which the prescribed trade description had not been applied was not intentional or reckless:\n    (a) the Comptroller‑General of Customs may, by notice in writing given to the owner or exporter of the goods concerned, require the owner or exporter:\n    (i) to apply the prescribed trade description to the goods before the exportation of the goods and within a period specified in the notice; or\n    (ii) to withdraw that entry, to remove the goods from that ship, or to remove the goods from that wharf or place, as the case requires, within the period so specified; and\n    (b) if the owner or exporter complies with the notice, subsection (2) does not apply in respect of the goods.","sortOrder":18},{"sectionNumber":"12","sectionType":"section","heading":"Penalty for applying false trade description to exports","content":"#### 12 Penalty for applying false trade description to exports\n\n  (1) No person shall:\n    (a) intentionally apply any false trade description to any goods intended or entered for export or put on any ship or boat for export, or brought to any wharf or place for the purpose of export; or\n    (b) intentionally export or enter for export or put on any ship or boat for export any goods to which a false trade description is applied.\n  (2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is punishable on conviction by a fine not exceeding 100 penalty units.","sortOrder":19},{"sectionNumber":"13","sectionType":"section","heading":"Exportation of falsely marked goods","content":"#### 13 Exportation of falsely marked goods\n\n  (1) Goods to which any false trade description is applied are prohibited to be exported.\n  (2) Subject to subsection (3), goods to which a false trade description has been applied that are entered for export, put on board any ship for export or brought to any wharf or place for export, are forfeited to the Crown.\n  (3) If the Comptroller‑General of Customs is satisfied that entry for export, putting on board a ship for export or bringing to a wharf or place for export, of goods to which a false trade description has been applied was not intentional or reckless:\n    (a) the Comptroller‑General of Customs may, by notice in writing given to the owner or exporter of the goods concerned, require the owner or exporter:\n    (i) to correct the false trade description before the exportation of those goods and within a period specified in the notice; or\n    (ii) to withdraw that entry, to remove the goods from that ship, or to remove the goods from that wharf or place, as the case requires, within the period so specified; and\n    (b) if the owner or exporter complies with the notice, subsection (2) does not apply in respect of the goods.","sortOrder":20},{"sectionNumber":"14","sectionType":"section","heading":"Marking of goods for export","content":"#### 14 Marking of goods for export\n\n  Any goods intended for export which have been inspected in pursuance of this Act may in manner prescribed be marked with the prescribed trade description.","sortOrder":21},{"sectionNumber":"Part V","sectionType":"part","heading":"Miscellaneous","content":"## Part V—Miscellaneous","sortOrder":22},{"sectionNumber":"15","sectionType":"section","heading":"Review of decisions","content":"#### 15 Review of decisions\n\n  (1) Applications can be made to the Administrative Review Tribunal for review of decisions of the Comptroller‑General of Customs under subsection 7(3), 10(3), 11(3) or 13(3).\n  (2) In this section:\n\n> decision has the same meaning as in the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024.","sortOrder":23},{"sectionNumber":"16","sectionType":"section","heading":"Trade description disclosing trade secrets","content":"#### 16 Trade description disclosing trade secrets\n\n  The regulations under sections seven and eleven of this Act shall not prescribe a trade description which discloses trade secrets of manufacture or preparation, unless in the opinion of the Minister the disclosure is necessary for the protection of the health or welfare of the public.","sortOrder":24},{"sectionNumber":"17","sectionType":"section","heading":"Regulations","content":"#### 17 Regulations\n\n  (1) The Governor‑General may make regulations not inconsistent with this Act prescribing all matters and things required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed or which are necessary and convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act, and particularly for the analysis of samples taken under this Act, and the extent to which certificates of analysis shall be prima facie evidence in proceedings under this Act of the facts therein stated.\n  (2) Without limiting subsection (1), the regulations may prescribe penalties, not exceeding 50 penalty units, for offences against the regulations.","sortOrder":25}],"analysis":{"summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The original 1905 Act was a straightforward colonial-era trade labelling law focused on honest marking of imports and exports. Over 119 years of amendment, its scope has been narrowed in some respects (export provisions now yield to the Export Control Act 2020 for prescribed goods) and complicated in others (integration with the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 country-of-origin regime, adoption of Administrative Review Tribunal review rights, and incorporation of Criminal Code fault elements). The core prohibition on false trade descriptions remains intact, but the Act now functions as a supplementary customs enforcement mechanism embedded within a much broader modern regulatory framework rather than as a standalone trade law."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-references to multiple other Acts (Customs Act 1901, Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Export Control Act 2020, Australian Border Force Act 2015, Legislation Act 2003, Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024), requiring the reader to consult several statutes simultaneously","Distinction between intentional, reckless, and unintentional conduct creates layered fault requirements that interact differently across offence and forfeiture provisions","Incorporation of external standards by reference — regulations can adopt Competition and Consumer Act information standards 'as in force from time to time', meaning the operative rules can change without amending this Act","Parallel and overlapping regimes for imports and exports with subtle structural differences between them","Ancient drafting style (1905 origin) mixed with modern amendments, creating inconsistent terminology and sentence structure throughout","Forfeiture provisions operate as a form of civil penalty separate from criminal offences, with an administrative remedy mechanism layered on top","Country of origin provisions (section 10AA) require understanding of subsection 255 of Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act — a complex consumer law provision in its own right","Strict liability applies to one element of the export notice offence but not others, requiring careful parsing of Criminal Code concepts"],"plain_english_summary":"## Commerce (Trade Descriptions) Act 1905\n\n### What is this law about?\nThis is one of Australia's oldest federal trade laws, originally passed in 1905 and still in force today. It sets rules about **how goods imported into or exported from Australia must be labelled and described**. The core idea is simple: the descriptions on goods (their labels, markings, packaging, etc.) must be **honest and accurate**.\n\n### Who does it affect?\n- **Importers** — businesses or individuals bringing goods into Australia\n- **Exporters** — businesses or individuals sending Australian goods overseas\n- **Customs officers** — who have powers to inspect goods and enforce the rules\n- **Manufacturers and packers** — whose details may appear on product labels\n\n### What does a \"trade description\" cover?\nA trade description is any statement — direct or indirect — about goods, including:\n- What they are made of\n- Where they were made (country of origin)\n- Who made or packed them\n- Their quantity, quality, size, or weight\n- Whether they are patented\n\nEven a symbol or mark that *implies* any of these things counts as a trade description.\n\n### What is prohibited?\n- **Importing goods with a false trade description** — penalty up to 100 penalty units (currently around $33,300 for individuals)\n- **Exporting goods with a false trade description** — same penalty\n- **Importing goods without the required trade description** — goods can be seized (\"forfeited to the Crown\", meaning the government takes them)\n- **Failing to give notice before exporting regulated goods** — 10 penalty units\n\n### What powers do customs officers have?\nOfficers can board ships, enter wharves and warehouses, open packages, inspect goods, and take samples — all to check compliance.\n\n### Is there a get-out-of-jail-free clause?\nYes, a limited one. If you imported or exported goods with the wrong labelling but it was **not intentional or reckless**, the Comptroller-General of Customs (the head of the Australian Border Force's customs function) can give you a chance to **fix the label or remove the goods** instead of losing them to forfeiture. If you comply, you avoid the forfeiture.\n\n### Country of origin rules\nThere is a specific carve-out: if a \"Made in Australia\" or similar country-of-origin claim meets the standards set under the **Competition and Consumer Act 2010** (Australia's main consumer law), it will not be treated as a false trade description under this Act.\n\n### Export exemption\nGoods already regulated under the **Export Control Act 2020** (which covers agricultural and food exports) are excluded from the export provisions of this Act — so there's no double-up.\n\n### Trade secrets\nThe regulations cannot require labelling that reveals a manufacturer's trade secrets — unless the Minister decides that public health or welfare requires it.\n\n### Who reviews decisions?\nIf the Comptroller-General makes a decision about forfeiture or compliance notices, affected parties can challenge it at the **Administrative Review Tribunal** (Australia's main tribunal for reviewing government decisions)."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The Act as presented is implemented through and explicitly linked to several later statutes and instruments, broadening its operational scope beyond a standalone trade description statute. It is incorporated with the Customs Act 1901 (s 2) and ties administration and definitions to the Australian Border Force Act 2015 (s 3). The Act permits adoption of Competition and Consumer Act information standards for prescribed descriptions (s 7(3A)–(3B)), excludes goods covered by the Export Control Act 2020 from Part IV (s 10A), and identifies the Administrative Review Tribunal as the review avenue for certain Comptroller‑General decisions (s 15). Those cross‑references and delegations make the Act operate within a network of contemporary regulatory instruments rather than in isolation, thereby changing its practical scope and means of implementation."},"complexity_factors":["Extensive cross-references to other statutes and instruments (Customs Act 1901, Competition and Consumer Act 2010 information standards, Export Control Act 2020, Australian Border Force Act 2015, Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024) creating multi‑instrument dependencies (ss 2, 7(3A)–(3B), 10A, s 3, s 15).","Broad delegated regulation-making power to prescribe required trade descriptions, offences and penalties (s 17), and allowance to incorporate external information standards by reference (s 7(3A)).","Administrative discretion vested in the Comptroller‑General to choose corrective measures rather than forfeiture where contraventions are not intentional or reckless (ss 7(3), 10(3), 11(3), 13(3)).","Operational powers for officers to inspect, sample, enter premises and open packages, plus procedural directions made as legislative instruments (s 5(1)–(5)).","Mix of civil‑remedial (forfeiture, corrective notices) and criminal penalties (fines, strict liability for notice compliance) increasing procedural complexity (ss 6, 9, 12, 17).","Special rule for trade secrets requiring Ministerial judgment balancing disclosure against public health/welfare (s 16).","Strict liability element for compliance with notification requirements for export (s 6(2)), which affects evidentiary and prosecutorial approach."],"plain_english_summary":"This Act requires accurate trade descriptions on goods entering or leaving Australia, gives Customs powers to inspect, sample and, where descriptions are false or missing, seize or require correction of goods, and creates penalties. It mainly affects importers, exporters, goods owners and Customs authorities — shifting compliance costs to traders and using administrative discretion to avoid forfeiture for non‑intentional errors."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Originally enacted in 1905 as a straightforward labeling law for imports, the Act has expanded significantly through amendments. It now covers exports as well as imports (Part IV), incorporates modern administrative law concepts (Administrative Review Tribunal, legislative instruments), links to contemporary consumer protection frameworks (Competition and Consumer Act 2010), and excludes goods covered by newer specialist legislation (Export Control Act 2020). The original simple prohibition has grown into a complex regulatory framework with conditional forfeiture regimes, strict liability offences, and dynamic incorporation of external standards."},"complexity_factors":["Extensive cross-referencing to other Acts (Customs Act 1901, Australian Border Force Act 2015, Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024, Legislation Act 2003, Export Control Act 2020)","Nested conditional logic in forfeiture provisions (sections 7, 10, 11, 13) with exceptions for non-intentional/reckless conduct","Deeming provisions that shift burden of proof (sections 8, 9A—goods found without proper labels are deemed imported illegally unless proven otherwise)","Incorporation of external standards by reference (section 7(3A) allows adoption of information standards from Competition and Consumer Act)","Dual administrative/criminal enforcement structure (forfeiture vs. penalties)","Multiple overlapping definitions of 'trade description' with inclusive and deeming provisions (section 3)","Strict liability offence in section 6(2) with reference to Criminal Code concepts"],"plain_english_summary":"This law is Australia's original consumer protection and border control legislation for goods crossing its borders. It requires that imported and exported goods carry accurate labels and descriptions—covering things like where they were made, what they're made of, their quality, and who manufactured them.\n\n**Key things this Act does:**\n\n- **Prevents false labeling**: It bans importing or exporting goods with false or misleading labels (called \"false trade descriptions\"). This includes lies about country of origin, ingredients, quality, or whether something is patented.\n\n- **Mandates specific labeling**: The government can make regulations requiring certain goods to carry specific labels before they can enter or leave Australia. If goods don't have these required labels, they can be seized (forfeited to the Crown).\n\n- **Allows inspection**: Customs officers can inspect goods, take samples, and enter ships and warehouses to check compliance.\n\n- **Provides escape hatches**: If someone accidentally breaks the rules (without intent or recklessness), the Comptroller-General of Customs can give them a chance to fix the labeling or export the goods instead of seizing them.\n\n- **Protects country of origin claims**: Special rules link this Act to the Competition and Consumer Act, ensuring that legitimate \"Made in Australia\" type claims don't accidentally breach this law.\n\n**Who it affects:** Importers, exporters, manufacturers, and anyone involved in labeling goods for international trade. It's administered by the Australian Border Force (through the Comptroller-General of Customs).\n\n**Why it matters:** This 1905 law remains a backstop against counterfeit goods, misleading product claims, and unsafe imports. While modern consumer law handles most domestic issues, this Act specifically targets the border—stopping dodgy goods before they enter the Australian market or ensuring Australian exports meet labeling standards overseas."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/commerce-trade-descriptions-act-1905","history":"/api/acts/commerce-trade-descriptions-act-1905/history","analysis":"/api/acts/commerce-trade-descriptions-act-1905/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/commerce-trade-descriptions-act-1905/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/commerce-trade-descriptions-act-1905/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/commerce-trade-descriptions-act-1905/documents"}}